IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF VIRGINIA1

Alexandria Division

E I L E

OCT 4 2012

CLERK. U.S. DISTRICT COURT

ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA

THE HISPANIC LEADERSHIP FUND,

INC.,

Plaintiff,

v.

FEDERAL ELECTION

COMMISSION,

Defendant.

Case No. I:12cv893

MEMORANDUM OPINION

Thisfederal election lawdeclaratory judgment case presents two unusual questions:

(i) Whether a plaintiff seeking a declaratory judgment that certain advertisements

to be published in the election season do not trigger the Federal Election

Campaign Act's1 ("FECA") disclosure requirements meets Article Ill'sstanding

and ripeness requirements where, as here, the Federal Election Commission

("FEC") deadlocked on the advertisements and then voted 6:0 that it could not

reach a conclusion on them; and,

(ii) Whether an advertisement that criticizes or targets the oil or healthcare

policies of "the Administration," "the White House," or "the Government" makes

it unambiguously apparent, by context, that the advertisement identifies a specific

federal candidate—President Obama—and thus constitutes an electioneering

communication under FECA.

For thereasons that follow, the ripeness and standing jurisdictional requirements are met

and some, but not all, ofthe advertisements at issue are "electioneering communications" subject

to FECA's disclosure requirements.

The Federal Election Campaign Act of 1972, Pub.L. 92-225, 86 Stat. 3 (codified as amended at

2U.S.C. §§431 etseq.)

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