Oral Argument Scheduled for September 14, 2012

Nos. 12-5117 & 12-5118

444444444444444444444444

In The United States Court of Appeals

for the District of Columbia Circuit

________________

CENTER FOR INDIVIDUAL FREEDOM, and

HISPANIC LEADERSHIP FUND,

Defendants-Appellants,

v. 

CHRIS VAN HOLLEN,

Plaintiff-Appellee,

and

FEDERAL ELECTION COMMISSION,

Defendant-Appellee.

________________

On Appeal from the U.S. District Court

for the District of Columbia

_______________________________

CORRECTED BRIEF AMICUS CURIAE OF FREE SPEECH

COALITION, ET AL. IN SUPPORT OF APPELLANTS AND REVERSAL

_______________________________

Mark Weinberg *Herbert W. Titus

WEINBERG, JACOBS & TOLANI, LLP William J. Olson

10411 Motor City Drive, Ste. 500 Jeremiah L. Morgan

Rockville, MD 20817 Robert J. Olson

WILLIAM J. OLSON, P.C.

Gary G. Kreep 370 Maple Ave. W., Ste. 4

U.S. JUSTICE FOUNDATION Vienna, Virginia 22180-5615

932 D Street, Ste. 3 (703) 356-5070

Ramona, CA 92065-2355 wjo@mindspring.com

* Counsel of Record

June 28, 2012 Attorneys for Amici Curiae 

444444444444444444444444

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CERTIFICATE AS TO 

PARTIES, RULINGS, AND RELATED CASES

Parties and Amici

Except for amicus Senator Mitch McConnell, all parties, intervenors, and

amici curiae appearing before the district court below and this Court are listed in

the Briefs for Appellants. The following are the amici curiae filing this brief:

• Free Speech Coalition, Inc. (www.freespeechcoalition.org)

• The Free Speech Defense and Education Fund, Inc.

• U.S. Justice Foundation (http://usjf.net/)

• Institute on the Constitution (http://www.theamericanview.com/)

• American Civil Rights Union (http://www.theacru.org/)

• Citizens United (http://www.citizensunited.org/)

• Conservative Legal Defense and Education Fund (www.cldef.org)

• Downsize DC Foundation (http://www.downsizedcfoundation.org/)

• DownsizeDC.org (http://www.downsizedc.org/)

• Gun Owners of America, Inc. (www.gunowners.org)

• Gun Owners Foundation (http://www.gunowners.com/)

• Let Freedom Ring USA (http://www.letfreedomringusa.com/)

• The National Right to Work Committee (http://www.nrtwc.org/)

• Public Advocate of the U.S. (http://www.publicadvocateusa.org/)

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• U.S. Border Control (http://www.usbc.org/)

• The U.S. Constitutional Rights Legal Defense Fund, Inc.

• Base Connect, Inc. (http://www.base-connect.com/)

Ruling under Review

References to the ruling at issue appear in the Brief for Appellants.

Related Cases

To the best of counsel’s knowledge, this case has not previously been before

this Court or any court other than the district court below. Counsel are unaware of

any related cases currently pending in this Court or any other court.

DISCLOSURE STATEMENT

The amici curiae herein, Free Speech Coalition, Inc., The Free Speech

Defense and Education Fund, Inc., U.S. Justice Foundation, Institute on the

Constitution, American Civil Rights Union, Citizens United, Conservative Legal

Defense and Education Fund, Downsize DC Foundation, DownsizeDC.org, Gun

Owners of America, Inc., Gun Owners Foundation, Let Freedom Ring USA,

The National Right to Work Committee, Public Advocate of the United States,

U.S. Border Control, The U.S. Constitutional Rights Legal Defense Fund, Inc.,

and Base Connect, Inc., through their undersigned counsel, submit this

Disclosure Statement pursuant to Rule 26.1(b), Federal Rules of Appellate

Procedure (“Fed. R. App. P.”), Rule 26.1(c), Rules of the United States Court

USCA Case #12-5117 Document #1381107 Filed: 06/28/2012 Page 3 of 36
3

of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit (“Circuit Rules”), and Fed. R.

App. P. 29(c).

All of these amici curiae, except for Institute on the Constitution and Base

Connect, Inc., are non-stock, nonprofit corporations, none of which has any parent

company, and no person or entity owns them or any part of them. Institute on the

Constitution is an unincorporated entity. Base Connect, Inc. is a privately owned

corporation with no parent company, which assists nonprofit organizations. Most

of the amici curiae are organizations exempt from taxation under Internal Revenue

Code section 501(c)(4) and have an interest in promoting their respective missions

through the types of advocacy regulated by the Federal Election Commission.

 /s/ Herbert W. Titus 

Herbert W. Titus

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i

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Certificate as to Parties, Rulings, and Related Cases

Disclosure Statement

Table of Authorities........ ....... ....... ....... ....... ....... ....... ii

Glossary of Abbreviations........ ....... ....... ....... ....... ....... . iii

Interest of Amici Curiae. ....... ....... ....... ....... ....... ....... ... 1

Summary of Argument. ....... ....... ....... ....... ....... ....... .... 4

ARGUMENT

I. BCRA Section 201 Is Subject to the Rule of Statutory Construction to

Avoid Serious Constitutional Problems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

A. The Forced Disclosure Issues in this Case Were Not Addressed

in Citizens United. ....... ....... ....... ....... ....... ..... 8

B. Citizens United Does Not Limit the Constitutional Scope of

Forced Disclosure to Evidence of Threats or Reprisals.. . . . . . . . . . 10

C. Citizens United Does Not Establish that Forced Disclosure Is

Generally Permissible in the Free Marketplace of Ideas. . . . . . . . . . 12

II. There Is No Legitimate Basis to Require Any Reporting and

Disclosure for Targeted, Broadcast Issue Ads Which Mention the

Name of a Candidate........ ....... ....... ....... ....... ....... 17

CONCLUSION. ....... ....... ....... ....... ....... ....... ....... .... 27

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ii

TABLE OF AUTHORITIES

Page

U.S. CONSTITUTION

Amendment I. ....... ....... ....... ....... ....... ....... . . 5, 8, 9, 12, 15

STATUTES

BCRA section 201........ ....... ....... ....... ....... ..... 4, 6, 7, 17-19

2 U.S.C. § 431....... ....... ....... ....... ....... ....... ..... 17, 19, 20

2 U.S.C. § 434(f). ....... ....... ....... ....... ....... ....... ...... 9, 23

2 U.S.C. § 441(d)(2). ....... ....... ....... ....... ....... ....... ...... 9

CASES

*Buckley v. Valeo, 424 U.S. 1 (1976). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17, 18, 20-22

*Citizens United v. FEC, 558 U.S. , 130 S.Ct. 913 (2010). . 4, 7-10, 12-13, 24

DeBartolo Corp. v. Florida Gulf Coast Bldg. & Constr. Trades Council,

485 U.S. 568 (1988). ....... ....... ....... ....... ....... ....... . 6

*FEC v. Wisconsin Right to Life, 551 U.S. 449 (2007).. . . . . . 2, 17, 18, 20, 25-26

Katzenbach v. McClung, 379 U.S. 294 (1964).. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

*McConnell v. FEC, 540 U.S. 93 (2003). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2, 17, 18, 21-22

*McIntyre v. Ohio Elections Commission, 514 U.S. 334

(1995). ....... ....... ....... ....... ....... ... 11-12, 15-16, 20, 27

Miami Herald Publishing Co. v. Tornillo, 418 U.S. 241 (1974). . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Real Truth about Abortion v. FEC, No. 11-1760 (4 Cir., June 12, 2012). . . . . .

th 15

Talley v. California, 362 U.S. 60 (1960).. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

REGULATIONS

11 C.F.R. § 104.20(c)(9). ....... ....... ....... ....... ....... ....... . 7, 8

11 C.F.R. § 114.15(a). ....... ....... ....... ....... ....... ....... .... 19

72 Fed. Reg. 72902. ....... ....... ....... ....... ....... ....... ...... 26

MISCELLANEOUS

IV W. Blackstone, Commentaries on the Laws of England (Univ. Of Chi.

Facsimile ed.:1789). ....... ....... ....... ....... ....... ....... . 11

D. Eggen, “Chamber says it will evade disclosure ruling by tweaking ads,”

Washington Post (May 30, 2012). ....... ....... ....... ....... .... 17

* Authorities upon which we chiefly rely are marked with asterisks.

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“The Influence Industry: Disclose Act could deter involvement in election,”

Washington Post (May 13, 2010). ....... ....... ....... ....... .... 25

J. Kendall, The Forgotten Founding Father (Penguin:2010). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

J. Miller, Monopoly Politics (Hoover Inst. Press: 1999). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

“Obama, NYTimes Targeting Wealthy Conservatives for a Sudden Tax

Scrutiny,” The New York Sun (June 25, 2012). ....... ....... ....... . 24

B. Smith, Unfree Speech (Princeton Univ. Press: 2001). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

“Trolling for Dirt on the President’s List,” Wall Street Journal, May 10, 2012. . 24

GLOSSARY OF ABBREVIATIONS

BCRA Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002

CFIF Center for Individual Freedom

FEC Federal Election Commission

FECA Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971, as amended

FSC Free Speech Coalition, Inc.

FSDEF The Free Speech Defense and Education Fund, Inc.

WRTL Wisconsin Right to Life

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No party’s counsel authored this brief in whole or in part. No person, 1

including a party or a party’s counsel, other than amici curiae, their members, or

their counsel, contributed money that was intended to fund preparation or

submission of this brief. These amici have filed a Representation of Consent of

Parties to the Filing of Brief Amicus Curiae. 

INTEREST OF AMICI CURIAE

Amici curiae Free Speech Coalition, Inc., The Free Speech Defense and 1

Education Fund, Inc., U.S. Justice Foundation, American Civil Rights Union,

Citizens United, Conservative Legal Defense and Education Fund, Downsize DC

Foundation, DownsizeDC.org, Gun Owners of America, Inc., Gun Owners

Foundation, Let Freedom Ring USA, The National Right to Work Committee,

Public Advocate of the United States, U.S. Border Control, and The U.S.

Constitutional Rights Legal Defense Fund, Inc., are nonprofit organizations,

exempt from federal taxation under sections 501(c)(3) or 501(c)(4) of the Internal

Revenue Code, and each is dedicated, inter alia, to the correct construction,

interpretation, and application of the law. Amicus Institute on the Constitution

(“IOTC”) is an educational organization reconnecting Americans with the history

of the Republic. Amicus Base Connect, Inc. is a for-profit corporation that

provides fundraising support for nonprofit advocacy organizations and has an

interest in the First Amendment rights of its clients. 

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2

See, e.g., Brief for Appellants Congressman Ron Paul, et al., pp. 34- 2

39, http://www.lawandfreedom.com/site/election/PaulApp.pdf.

See Brief Amicus Curiae of Citizens United and Citizens United 3

Foundation in Support of Appellant (Nov. 14, 2005),

http://www.lawandfreedom.com/site/ constitutional/CU_WRTL_amicus.pdf.

See Brief Amicus Curiae of Citizens United, et al. (Mar. 23, 2007), 4

http://www.lawandfreedom.com/site/election/WRTL%20II%20amicus.pdf.

Four of the amici herein (Gun Owners of America, Inc., Citizens United,

DownsizeDC.org — then RealCampaignReform.org — and The National Right to

Work Committee) were plaintiffs in an unsuccessful facial challenge, inter alia, to

Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 (“BCRA”) section 203 in McConnell v.

FEC, 540 U.S. 93 (2003). Thereafter, amicus Citizens United submitted an 2

amicus brief in Wisconsin Right to Life v. FEC (“WRTL I”), 546 U.S. 410 (2006),

where the U.S. Supreme Court decided that an as-applied challenge to BCRA

Section 203 had not been foreclosed by the McConnell decision. This led to an 3

as-applied challenge to BCRA Section 203 in which an amicus brief was filed by

several amici herein (Citizens United, Gun Owners of America, Inc., Conservative

Legal Defense and Education Fund, Free Speech Coalition, Inc., The Free Speech

Defense and Education Fund, Inc., Public Advocate of the United States,

DownsizeDC.org, and Downsize DC Foundation) in FEC v. Wisconsin Right to

Life (“WRTL II”), 551 U.S. 449 (2007).4

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Free Speech Coalition, Inc. and The Free Speech Defense and 5

Education Fund, Inc. Comments on the FEC’s Proposed Regulations on

Electioneering Communications (72 FR 50261) (Oct. 1, 2007),

http://www.freespeechcoalition .org/pdfs/FEC_Electioneering_Com.pdf.

Statement of Jeremiah L. Morgan (Oct. 18, 2007), 6http://www.lawand

freedom.com/site/election/JLM_10-18-07.pdf.

Comments of Citizens United Concerning Proposed Revisions to 7

Rules Governing Electioneering Communications (Oct. 1, 2007), http://sers.nict

usa.com/fosers/ showpdf.htm?docid=4954.

After the FEC’s 2007 rulemaking, Citizens United became the 8

plaintiff in Citizens United v. FEC, decided by the Supreme Court in 2010.

9

http://freespeechcoalition.org/pdfs/DISCLOSE_Act_Analysis.pdf.

Following the Supreme Court’s decision in WRTL II in 2007, the FEC

conducted a rulemaking to modify its regulations to comport with that decision by

determining the scope of the electioneering communications exemption. Amici

Free Speech Coalition and The Free Speech Defense and Education Fund

participated by submitting comments and providing testimony at the FEC’s 5 6

hearing on October 18, 2007. Amicus Citizens United also submitted comments7

and provided testimony in the FEC’s 2007 rulemaking.

8

When Rep. Van Hollen introduced the “Democracy Is Strengthened by

Casting Light On Spending in Election Act” (“Disclose Act”) in 2010, the Free

Speech Coalition strongly opposed it.

9

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Amici were not aware that Sen. McConnell was submitting a brief herein,

and thus did not know to coordinate with him when he filed his brief on the same

day as Appellants. Further, the Senator’s interest is significantly different than

that of the 17 amici who join together to file this brief, most of which have had

long involvement with the regulations at issue, and whose interests are more

focused on the principle of anonymity and the increased administrative burden

from disclosure that would be imposed on political speech by the district court’s

opinion. Although Senator McConnell is not a “government entity” for the

purpose of Circuit Rule 29(d), he is an incumbent office holder and presumed to

be a candidate for re-election, and he has very different interests from the

organizational amici herein. And different issues are addressed in the two briefs. 

Finally, amici are not aware of any other amicus curiae briefs at this time.

SUMMARY OF ARGUMENT

The BCRA section 201 provision requiring disclosure of the names and

addresses of all contributors who contributed an aggregate of $1,000 or more is

subject to the rule of statutory construction to avoid serious constitutional

problems. Contrary to the opinion of the court below, and the opinion of this

Court on motion for a stay of judgment, the Supreme Court did not address or

resolve in Citizens United the constitutionality of whether the disclosure

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requirement applied to any donor who gave money generally to the publisher of an

electioneering communication without direction as to how the funds should be

used.

The district court was also mistaken in its assumption that the only

constitutional standard governing forced disclosures of the identity of

“contributors who contributed” is whether there is evidence that such disclosure

would threaten, harass, or cause retaliation against any such donor. This Court

was also mistaken in its assumption that the constitutional standard governing

forced disclosure of donors’ identities is subject only to whether Congress had a

rational basis for requiring such disclosures.

To the contrary, forced disclosures are subject to “exacting scrutiny”

requiring proof of a strong governmental interest in the prevention of corruption or

the appearance of corruption. The government interest in a better informed public,

standing by itself, is not sufficient to override the well-established anonymity

principle undergirding the freedoms of speech and the press. To avoid

compromising that principle, BCRA’s disclosure provision should be construed to

require proof that the “contributor who contributed” did so with the specific

purpose of supporting an electioneering communication.

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Moreover, there is no constitutionally legitimate basis to require any

reporting and disclosure for any communication merely because it mentions the

name of a candidate for federal office. To label such communications as anything

more than issue advocacy is to apply a misnomer. 

Additionally, to justify such disclosure requirements as furthering the

interest of the government in a better informed public camouflages the real

purpose — to protect incumbent office holders at the expense of their challengers. 

Forced disclosure is anathema to this nation’s founding commitment to a selfgoverning people’s marketplace of ideas free from licensure and censorship by the

government. 

ARGUMENT

I. BCRA SECTION 201 IS SUBJECT TO THE RULE OF STATUTORY

CONSTRUCTION TO AVOID SERIOUS CONSTITUTIONAL

PROBLEMS.

In its brief, appellant Center for Individual Freedom (“CFIF”) argues that

BCRA section 201 is subject to the rule that statutes are construed to avoid serious

constitutional problems. See CFIC Brief, pp. 36-40. This salutary rule “not only

reflects the prudential concern that constitutional issues not be needlessly

confronted, but also recognizes that Congress, like this Court, is bound by and

swears an oath to uphold the Constitution.” DeBartolo Corp. v. Florida Gulf

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7

Coast Bldg. & Constr. Trades Council, 485 U.S. 568, 575 (1988). While there is

no constitutional claim being made in this case, there is no question that there are

constitutional problems lurking in the wings should the district court’s decision be

affirmed striking down 11 C.F.R. § 104.20(c)(9) governing forced disclosure of

“contributors who contributed.” Indeed, it is because of previous constitutional

litigation that the FEC conducted its 2007 rulemaking. Prudence would dictate,

therefore, that this Court apply this rule of construction to avoid serious

constitutional problems that need not be confronted. 

CFIF contends that construing the BCRA section 201 disclosure provision

to apply to any person who has made a financial contribution regardless of the

contributor’s purpose “imposes significant burdens” on the contributor’s freedom

of speech. CFIF Br. at 36. Thus, CFIF has argued that section 201 ought to be

construed to permit the FEC rule that only those contributors whose purpose is to

support an electioneering communication need be disclosed.

To date, both the district court below and this Court have declined to apply

this rule of construction, on the ground that Citizens United has “already rejected

[CFIF’s] constitutional arguments.” See Van Hollen v. FEC, 2012 U.S. App.

LEXIS 10333*, p. 8*. See also Van Hollen v. FEC, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS

44342*, p. 53 (“[A]ny constitutional concerns that defendant-intervenors raised

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about the burdens the regulation would impose were addressed by the Supreme

Court in Citizens United....”). Both opinions are mistaken. Although Citizens

United addressed BCRA’s disclosure requirement, it did not assess the precise

constitutional question raised by CFIF here. Consequently, it did not address the

adverse impact that rejection of 11 C.F.R. § 104.20(c)(9) would have, not only on

the freedom of speech, but also on the freedom of the press.

A. The Forced Disclosure Issues in this Case Were Not Addressed in

Citizens United.

Citizens United resolved two particular aspects of challenges to the BCRA

section 201 disclosure requirements. First, Citizens United argued that the

disclaimer provision requiring disclosure of those responsible for the

electioneering communication adversely burdened the freedom of speech. That

challenge was rejected on the ground the disclaimer provision promotes

accountability to the citizenry and shareholders, and contributes to “informed

decisions” by the “electorate.” Citizens United, 558 U.S. __, 130 S.Ct. 913-16

(2010). To resolve this question, the Court paid careful attention to (a) the

statutory definitions describing the person responsible for the publication of the

electioneering communication and (b) the specific disclaimers and particularized

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disclaiming language required. See id. at 913-14. See also 2 U.S.C. sections

434(f) and 441(d)(2).

Second, the Citizens United Court addressed the disclosure requirements of

those persons who paid for the electioneering communications without, however,

paying comparable attention to the meaning of the statutory phrase, “contributors

who contributed.” Instead, it addressed the constitutionality of forced disclosure

of “the names of certain contributors” in general terms. See id. at 915-16. On the

one hand, the Court addressed the constitutionality of forcing the disclosure of

“the funding sources of the ads.” See id. at 915. On the other hand, the Court

addressed the constitutionality of forced disclosure of the names of Citizens

United’s “donors.” Id. at 916. Indeed, in back-to-back sentences the Citizens

United Court addressed the First Amendment question as if the issue were whether

disclosure requirements “chill donations to an organization by exposing donors to

retaliation,” and then addressed the question of the threat of retaliation as if the

issue were whether the forced disclosure threatened the identities of “donors to

certain causes.” Id. (emphasis added).

Such indiscriminate treatment without engaging in a discrete discussion of

the meaning of “contributor who contributed” demonstrates that the distinction

raised by CFIF — between (i) a person who contributes for the purpose to help

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pay for a specific electioneering communication, and (ii) a person who gives

money to that communicator generally — was not raised, much less decided, in

Citizens United. 

B. Citizens United Does Not Limit the Constitutional Scope of

Forced Disclosure to Evidence of Threats or Reprisals. 

Relying on Citizens United, the district court assumed that the BCRA

“disclosure requirements” inevitably facilitate “‘informed choices in the political

marketplace.’” 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS at 53*-54*. Thus, it assumed that, by

vacating the FEC rule requiring disclosure of only purposeful contributions, the

electorate would be just as informed about the sources of election-related spending

as it would be if the FEC rule were left in place. According to this reading of

Citizens United, “the only outer limit the Court seems to have imposed is whether

disclosure would subject an organization’s donors to threats or reprisals....” Id. at

53*-54*. 

In its brief, however, CFIF has challenged the district court’s reading of

Citizens United, asserting that “[a] law that conditions the right to free political

speech on disclosure of the speaker’s supporters or funding sources imposes

significant burdens on that speech, regardless of whether those who are disclosed

face retaliation.” See CFIF Br., p. 36. CFIF’s argument is not new. Fifty-two

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IV W. Blackstone, Commentaries on the Laws of England, p. 151 10

(Univ. Of Chi. Facsimile ed.:1789). 

See, e.g., the account of Noah Webster signing a pamphlet with a pen 11

name, “A Citizen of America.” “Having been recently vilified in the popular

press, ... this pen name, he felt was likely to improve his chances of getting a fair

hearing.” J. Kendall, The Forgotten Founding Father 166 (Penguin:2010).

years ago, the Supreme Court struck down a state law outlawing anonymous

pamphlets without requiring any proof that forced disclosure of the author would

trigger open retaliation:

The obnoxious press licensing law of England, which also was

enforced on the Colonies was due in part to the knowledge that

exposure of the names of printers, writers, and distributors would

lessen the circulation of literature critical of the government. [Talley

v. California, 362 U.S. 60, 64 (1960).]

The freedom of the press established that “[e]very freeman has the undoubted right

to lay what sentiments he pleases before the public,” including the right to

10

publish anonymously. McIntyre v. Ohio Elections Commission, 514 U.S. 334,

342-43 (1995). This right against forced disclosure was not confined to only those

who could prove that they were actually threatened or retaliated against or

harassed. As the Supreme Court observed in McIntyre, “quite apart from any

threat of persecution, an advocate may believe her ideas will be more persuasive if

her readers are unaware of her identity.” Id., 514 U.S. at 342. 11

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Just because the Citizens United Court focused its analysis on lack of

evidence of retaliation does not mean, as the district court apparently assumed,

that forced disclosure of one’s name as author or publisher violated the First

Amendment only if there was actual evidence of threats, harassment, or retaliation. 

There is nothing in the Citizens United opinion to indicate that retaliation is the

singular standard by which the constitutionality of a disclosure requirement is to

be measured. See id., 130 S.Ct. at 916. Moreover, for the reasons discussed in

Section II, infra, the Citizens United opinion applying the retaliation standard

must be read in the context of non-electoral process cases, such as McIntyre v.

Ohio Elections Commission, which establish that “the purpose of the ... First

Amendment in particular [is] to protect unpopular individuals [not only] from

retaliation but [their] ideas from suppression – at the hand of an intolerant

society.” Id., 514 U.S. 334, 357 (1995). 

C. Citizens United Does Not Establish that Forced Disclosure Is

Generally Permissible In the Free Marketplace of Ideas. 

In its opinion denying an emergency order for a stay, this Court assumed

that there was no constitutional reason to narrow the class of “contributors” to

only those persons whose purpose for contributing was to facilitate the publication

of electioneering communications. In support of its ruling, this Court emphasized

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that “Congress was clear that all contributors of $1,000 or more are covered.” 

2012 U.S. App. LEXIS at 7* (italics original). In justification of its expansive

reading that “all contributors” means “all givers” regardless of purpose, this Court

stated that “Congress could have rationally concluded that organizations

expressly advocating for or against specific candidates are more ascertainable and

accountable, and thus opted for greater disclosure of funding sources for more

nebulous organizations that do not expressly advocate for or against specific

candidates.” 2012 U.S. App. LEXIS at 7*-8* (emphasis added).

Respectfully, the Court simply employed the wrong standard. Whether

Congress had a “rational” basis for extending the disclosure requirement to all

contributors who contribute without regard to purpose is not the constitutional

framework within which to assess the authority of the FEC under the Chevron

doctrine. The FEC is not an agency established by Congress to regulate interstate

commerce where “rationality” is the measuring rod of constitutionality. See, e.g.,

Katzenbach v. McClung, 379 U.S. 294, 304 (1964). To the contrary, as Citizens

United plainly states, disclosure requirements are subject to “‘exacting scrutiny,’

which requires a ‘substantial relation’ between the disclosure requirement and a

‘sufficiently important’ governmental interest.” Id. at 914. The question, then, is

not whether it is rational to conclude that Congress employed “the ordinary

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meaning of contributor” in fixing who was subject to BCRA’s disclosure

requirement. Rather, the question is whether the ordinary meaning of contributor

bears a substantial relationship to important government interests. The FEC, the

agency that Congress put in charge of enforcing nearly all of BCRA, concluded

that “contributor” should be construed, not according to its meaning in Webster’s

dictionary, but in harmony with the general meaning of “contribution” set forth in

FECA of which BCRA is an integral part. See CFIF Br., pp. 27-35.

Ironically, this Court’s “rationality test” would afford greater constitutional

protection to FECA’s “express advoca[cy] for or against specific candidates” than

for a BCRA-sanctioned electioneering communication that only refers to such

candidates. According to this “rationality” test, Congress “could have” concluded

that express advocacy for or against a candidate is, on its face, “more ascertainable

and accountable” than implied advocacy, and thus, Congress “opted for greater

disclosure of funding sources for more nebulous organizations that do not

expressly advocate for or against a specific candidate.” 2012 U.S. App. LEXIS at

7*-8*. 

This would turn FECA on its head, unhinging the government’s secondary

interest in an informed electorate in the general marketplace of ideas from the

government’s primary interest in ridding the electoral process of corruption and

USCA Case #12-5117 Document #1381107 Filed: 06/28/2012 Page 21 of 36
15

See Real Truth about Abortion v. FEC, No. 11-1760 (4 Cir. June 12, 12 th

2012).

Section II, infra, explains why this rationale is flawed in application

13

to all electioneering communications.

the appearance of corruption. As the Supreme Court stated in McIntyre v. Ohio

Elections Commission, the governmental “informational interest is plainly

insufficient to support the constitutionality of [a] disclosure requirement.” Id., 514

U.S. at 349. 

It is the threat of corruption and the appearance of corruption in the

electoral process that undergirds forced disclosure. Thus, in McIntyre, the

Supreme Court ruled:

In candidate elections, the Government can identify a compelling

state interest in avoiding the corruption that might result from

campaign expenditures. Disclosure of expenditures lessens the risk

that individuals will spend money to support a candidate as a quid pro

quo for special treatment after the candidate is in office. Curriers of

favor will be deterred by the knowledge that all expenditures will be

scrutinized by the Federal Election Commission and by the public for

just this sort of abuse. [Id., 514 U.S. at 356 (emphasis added).]

This rationale could apply only to contributors whose purpose is to help finance an

electioneering communication, including ones that “merely mention a federal

candidate,” but certainly makes no sense with respect to contributors whose 12

purpose is otherwise. To the contrary, a person who gives money to an 13

USCA Case #12-5117 Document #1381107 Filed: 06/28/2012 Page 22 of 36
16

organization which participates in a wide variety of speech and press activity

which does not include any covered BCRA electioneering communication is

constitutionally entitled to anonymity:

Insofar as the interest in informing the electorate means nothing more

than the provision of additional information that may either buttress

or undermine the argument in a document, we think the identity of the

speaker is no different from other components of the document’s

content that the author is free to include or exclude.... The simple

interest in providing voters with additional relevant information does

not justify a ... requirement that a writer make statements or

disclosures she would otherwise omit. [McIntyre, 334 U.S. at 348.]

In light of this well-established anonymity principle, it makes good sense

for the FEC to construe the statutory “contributors who contributed” phrase to

include only those persons who give money for the purpose of supporting a

covered BCRA electioneering communication, lest the disclosure requirement

invade the right of editorial control secured to the people by the freedom of the

press. See Miami Herald Publishing Co. v. Tornillo, 418 U.S. 241, 258 (1974). 

CFIF contends that the burden of disclosing the names of each person who

has given an organization an aggregate amount of $1,000 or more for the period,

without regard to whether the contributor purposed that it be spent on

electioneering communications, would shut the door on electioneering

communications. CFIF Br., p. 36. Indeed, the district court’s order vacating the

USCA Case #12-5117 Document #1381107 Filed: 06/28/2012 Page 23 of 36
17

14 http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/the-influence-industry-cham

ber-says-it-will-evade-disclosure-ruling-by-tweaking-ads/2012/05/30/gJQA8eMk2

U_story.html.

FEC rule that would require proof of purpose as a condition of disclosure already

has prompted organizations to change their electioneering communications into

express advocacy ads, thereby bringing them under the rule requiring disclosure

only of those persons who have contributed “for the purpose of influencing” the

election of a named candidate, as provided in 2 U.S.C. section 431(8)(A)(i). See

D. Eggen, “Chamber says it will evade disclosure ruling by tweaking ads,”

Washington Post (May 30, 2012). 

14

II. There Is No Legitimate Basis to Require Any Reporting and Disclosure

for Targeted, Broadcast Issue Ads which Mention the Name of a

Candidate. 

Congressman Van Hollen’s complaint and the district court’s opinion

presume not just that BCRA section 201(a) mandates the FEC to require the

reporting and disclosure of electioneering communications, but also that such

reporting and disclosure have been sanctioned by reviewing courts. At the time

that BCRA was enacted and the FEC’s rulemaking was conducted in 2007, the

only two decisions which had addressed federal election reporting and disclosure

were Buckley v. Valeo, 424 U.S. 1 (1976) and McConnell v. FEC, 540 U.S. 93

(2002). WRTL II did not address reporting and disclosure, no challenge having

USCA Case #12-5117 Document #1381107 Filed: 06/28/2012 Page 24 of 36
18

Three years after the FEC’s 2007 rulemaking was conducted, the 15

Citizens United case was decided. Section I, supra, explains why reliance on that

decision to support the type of reporting and disclosure required by the FEC in its

2007 rules is problematic. 

been brought to those provisions. Indeed, FEC’s 2007 rulemaking relied on the

absence of such a challenge in WRTL II to justify its view that the FEC’s

reporting and disclosure rules still applied, and required the FEC to conduct a

rulemaking to consider how to apply them. However, close examination of 15

Buckley and McConnell reveals support for neither the extensive reporting and

disclosure demanded by Congressman Van Hollen and the district court, nor the

limited reporting and disclosure required under the FEC’s 2007 regulations for

electioneering communications. 

Before examining those cases, it is important to identify the true nature of

the advertisements under review. Considerable confusion in the public debate

appears to have been caused by the very terminology selected by Congress in

BCRA — “electioneering communication.” By that name, it would seem logical,

even obvious, that most of these communications expressly address federal

elections, but the opposite is true. BCRA section 201(a) defines the term

“electioneering communications” to exclude “a communication which constitutes

an expenditure or an independent expenditure under this Act.” (Emphasis

USCA Case #12-5117 Document #1381107 Filed: 06/28/2012 Page 25 of 36
19

added.) As a result, by definition, there is no such thing as an electioneering

communication which either: (i) contains express advocacy, or (ii) “is susceptible

of no reasonable interpretation other than as an appeal to vote for or against a

clearly identified Federal candidate” (11 C.F.R. § 114.15(a)). If a targeted,

broadcast, communication referring to a clearly identified federal candidate made

shortly before elections (meeting the four tests in BCRA section 201(a)(3)) were

to contain express advocacy or its equivalent, then reporting and disclosure would

be governed by other provisions of 2 U.S.C. section 434, but not section 434(f). 

Accordingly, electioneering communications would have been better

described as “targeted issue ads naming a federal candidate broadcast when

citizens are most focused on the record of incumbents.” If such a label had been

applied to such communications, it would be obvious why Congress has chosen to

regulate them: so that Congressmen would know detailed information about an ad

where the sponsor had the temerity to name a federal candidate — generally, an

incumbent legislator — and then tell his constituents how he has voted. As

electioneering communications are neither FECA contributions nor expenditures,

they are, by definition, not being made “for the purpose of influencing any election

for Federal office.” See 2 U.S.C. § 431(8) and (9). Therefore, the constitutional

USCA Case #12-5117 Document #1381107 Filed: 06/28/2012 Page 26 of 36
20

rationale for requiring reporting and disclosure of FECA contributions and

expenditures simply does not apply. 

Of course, Buckley v. Valeo involved the reporting and disclosure of FECA

“contributions” and “expenditures” under 2 U.S.C. section 431(8) and (9). In

Buckley, the lead plaintiff was an incumbent office holder, and none of the

plaintiffs even challenged the disclosure requirements “as per se unconstitutional,”

but conceded that “narrowly drawn disclosure requirements are the proper solution

to virtually all the evils Congress sought to remedy.” Id. at 60. In response to this

passive challenge, the Court identified the “governmental interests sought to be

vindicated by the disclosure requirements” as (i) “provid[ing] the electorate with

information,” (ii) “deter[ing] actual corruption and avoid[ing] the appearance of

corruption,” and (iii) providing “an essential means of gathering the data necessary

to detect violations of the contribution limitations....” Id. at 66-68. All three of

these reasons purported to justify disclosure of financial activity made for the

purpose of influencing a federal election and are inapposite here. The

informational rationale is called into question by McIntyre. See McIntyre, 514

U.S. 349, as discussed in Section I.C, supra. Further, once WRTL II struck down

restrictions on electioneering communications, the rationale about detecting

violations no longer applies. In dissent in Buckley, Chief Justice Burger found it

USCA Case #12-5117 Document #1381107 Filed: 06/28/2012 Page 27 of 36
21

remarkably candid for the Court to acknowledge that “public disclosure ... will

deter some individuals who otherwise might contribute” and that at least one

Senator admitted that “disclosure provisions really have in fact made it difficult

for challengers to challenge incumbents.’” Id. at 237. Former FEC Chairman

Bradley Smith explained that “The [disclosure] interest identified by the Buckley

Court doesn’t really exist at all. In fact, focusing on the sources of money may

simply distract voters from analyzing the underlying issues [and] impoverish

debate.” B. Smith, Unfree Speech: The Folly of Campaign Finance Reform,

Princeton Univ. Press (2001), p. 224. In McConnell, the Court did little more than

rely on Buckley, finding that it “forecloses a facial attack” on disclosure relating to

electioneering communications, and then finding that the three factors addressed

in Buckley “amply support[] application of FECA section 304’s disclosure

requirements to the entire range of “electioneering communications.” McConnell,

p. 193. In McConnell, the Court never analyzed the reporting and disclosure

requirements of electioneering communications in any way different from FECA

contributions and expenditures. 

Primarily based on these two decisions, the mantra has developed on

Capitol Hill and elsewhere that reporting and disclosure are the answer to the

problem of corruption and the appearance of corruption in federal elections

USCA Case #12-5117 Document #1381107 Filed: 06/28/2012 Page 28 of 36
22

because they inform the public about who is doing what with respect to money and

federal elections. But that mantra does not apply with respect to targeted,

broadcast issue ads naming a federal candidate, which by definition are not

electoral in context. Where the reason for the rule does not apply, so also should

not the rule. If electioneering communications contain express advocacy, or are

susceptible of no other interpretation, they are immediately, by operation of

statutory definition, transmuted out of the category of being electioneering

communications and into the category of expenditures or independent

expenditures where Buckley and McConnell could be read as requiring reporting

and disclosure. But without express advocacy or the equivalent, the only

connection they have with elections is that they mention federal candidates —

usually incumbents — and only by fiat of those same “powers that be,” do they

attain the label “electioneering communication.” 

It is no coincidence that the instant litigation was brought by incumbent

Congressman Van Hollen, and that his standing is based on “his intention to seek

re-election in November 2012 and communications related to that election will be

subject to the regulation at issue in this case.” Van Hollen, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS

44342 *4. Therefore, to demonstrate standing, Mr. Van Hollen represented to the

Court: “If the FEC regulations do not faithfully implement these disclosure

USCA Case #12-5117 Document #1381107 Filed: 06/28/2012 Page 29 of 36
23

No stranger to the methods by which incumbents attain reelction, 16

from 2007 through 2011, Congressman Van Hollen served as Chairman of the

Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

In his book Monopoly Politics, former Chairman of the Federal Trade 17

Commission and Director of the Office of Management and Budget, James C.

Miller III, Ph.D. explained that the major effect of FECA has been to protect

incumbents from challengers. “To the extent they can exclude rivals, political

parties and candidates get their way on issues.... Candidates who can exclude

rivals have an easier life... They can more often ‘vote their consciences,’ even

when these positions conflict with those of their constituents.... They are less

likely to suffer the humiliation of being criticized by opponents.” Id. at 41. 

provisions, I will be deprived of information to which I am entitled under FECA

and BCRA.” (Van Hollen, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 44342 *20 (emphasis added). 

Impliedly, Mr. Van Hollen states that he needs the information which he believes

BCRA mandates be disclosed and reported, and having that information will be

important to the success of his campaign for re-election. While the statutory 16

definition of electioneering communication references a “candidate for Federal

office” (2 U.S.C. § 434(f)(3)(A)(i)(I)), it is worth noting the obvious, that it is

incumbents that write the laws, not challengers. There is no reason to assume that

incumbents write laws to benefit challengers, but there is every reason, beginning

with human nature, to assume that they are written to protect incumbents.

17

Accordingly, it is important for courts not to blindly defer, but to open their

eyes wide to see the self-serving motives that Congressmen have in writing

USCA Case #12-5117 Document #1381107 Filed: 06/28/2012 Page 30 of 36
24

Justice Thomas used this illustration: “a candidate challenging an 18

incumbent state attorney general reported that some members of the State’s

business community feared donating to his campaign because they did not want to

cross the incumbent: in his words ... ‘I can’t afford to have my name on your

records. He might come after me next.’” Citizens United, 130 S. Ct. at 981

(Thomas, J., dissenting). 

19 http://online.wsj.com/article/SB100014240527023040703045773964

12560038208.html.

20 http://www.nysun.com/national/obama-new-york-times-are-targetingwealth/87879/.

campaign finance laws. The instant litigation provides yet another opportunity to

consider the degree to which BCRA section 201(a) and other similar laws are

written not to protect the public, but to protect incumbents. This is not a new

concept. In his dissent in Citizens United, Justice Thomas revealed the greatest

threat to dissident voices choosing to exercise their core right to political speech

— “the threat of retaliation from elected officials.” 

18

The press reports that President Obama is using the public disclosure

process to create hit lists for his supporters to use for public attacks. See “Trolling

for Dirt on the President’s List,” Wall Street Journal, May 10, 2012 and “Obama, 19

NYTimes Targeting Wealthy Conservatives for a Sudden Tax Scrutiny,” The New

York Sun (June 25, 2012). Understanding fully the fear that such retaliation

20

USCA Case #12-5117 Document #1381107 Filed: 06/28/2012 Page 31 of 36
25

“The Influence Industry: Disclose Act could deter involvement in

21

election,” Washington Post (May 13, 2010) http://www.washingtonpost.com/

wp-dyn/content/article/2010/05/12/AR2010051205094.html.

causes, Senator Charles Schumer praised the Disclose Act, stating, “The deterrent

effect should not be underestimated.”21

Congressman Van Hollen brings this suit to be able to have detailed

information about pesky organizations which would dare to criticize him in their

targeted, broadcast issue ads. Incumbents particularly dislike advocacy groups

(such as many of amici herein) communicating detailed information about an

incumbent’s voting record to his constituents, particularly during the period

immediately before an election when the electorate is most likely to be paying

attention. Congress first tried to criminalize the use of an incumbent’s name by

incorporated advocacy organizations, but in WRTL II, the High Court intervened. 

Now, one Congressman is attempting to salvage what remains of that

inappropriate effort to give elected officials a sort of trademark on their own

names. When the WTRL II Court struck down the limitations on electioneering

communications, it should have also struck down the reporting and disclosure

provisions even though they were not expressly challenged by the plaintiff. 

Although that issue is not before the Court at this time, it is certain that the Court

USCA Case #12-5117 Document #1381107 Filed: 06/28/2012 Page 32 of 36
26

FSC/FSDEF’s comments in the 2007 rulemaking made many of these 22

same points. They explained that FEC Regulation Alternative 1 would maintain

the reporting requirements for all electioneering communications, even though

WRTL II determined that the definition of “electioneering communication” was

unconstitutionally overbroad and prohibited protected speech, i.e., an

advertisement that was not “susceptible of no reasonable interpretation other than

as an appeal to vote for or against a specific candidate.” WRTL II, 127 S.Ct.

2667. “The constitutionality of reporting and disclosure requirements is wholly

dependent upon their being linked to funding limitations imposed upon

candidacies for election to federal office.” FSC/FSDEF Comments, p. 4. 

FSC/FSDEF argued against FEC Regulation Alternative 2, even though it

exempted WRTL-type communications from the disclosure and reporting

requirements for electioneering communications, fell short of providing a practical

means to prevent the FEC from becoming a national censor of political speech. 

Alternative 2 would have created several “safe harbors,” purporting to define the

types of language which are acceptable. This puts the FEC in the role of

determining whether a particular communication was permissible or contained

words that were taboo. 

The FEC did appear to accept one of FSC/FSDEF’s recommendations. The

FEC had proposed that a communication would qualify under the WRTL II only

“if the communication is susceptible of a reasonable interpretation other than as

an appeal to vote for or against a clearly identified Federal candidate.” In the final

rule, the FEC followed the language used in the WRTL II opinion, that a

corporation may make an electioneering communication “unless the

communication is susceptible of no reasonable interpretation other than as an

appeal to vote for or against a clearly identified Federal candidate.” See 72 Fed.

Reg. 72902 (emphasis added).

should not use those residual provisions to force an expansion of the FEC’s

current rules beyond what they currently require.22

As Justice Thomas remarked in his concurrence in McIntyre, “it is only an

innovation of modern times that has permitted the regulation of anonymous

speech.” McIntyre at 367 (Thomas, J., concurring). Only by turning one’s back

USCA Case #12-5117 Document #1381107 Filed: 06/28/2012 Page 33 of 36
27

on early American history can incumbents like Congressman Van Hollen get away

with employing the power of government to retain their positions of power in that

government. As Justice Thomas’ review of the history of the freedom of the press

explained, “Founding-era Americans opposed attempts to require that anonymous

authors reveal their identities on the ground that forced disclosure violated the

freedom of the press.” Id. at 361. It is to America’s shame that the full force of

that historical legacy has been forgotten.

CONCLUSION

For the reasons stated herein, the decision of the district court should be

reversed. 

Respectfully submitted,

 /s/ Herbert W. Titus

Mark Weinberg *Herbert W. Titus

WEINBERG, JACOBS & TOLANI, LLP William J. Olson

10411 Motor City Drive, Ste. 500 John S. Miles

Rockville, MD 20817 Jeremiah L. Morgan

Attorney for Amici FSC/FSDEF Robert J. Olson

WILLIAM J. OLSON, P.C.

Gary G. Kreep 370 Maple Ave. W., Ste. 4

U.S. JUSTICE FOUNDATION Vienna, Virginia 22180-5615

932 D Street, Ste. 3 (703) 356-5070

Ramona, CA 92065-2355 wjo@mindspring.com

Attorney for Amicus USJF * Counsel of Record

June 28, 2012 Attorneys for Amici FSC, et al.

USCA Case #12-5117 Document #1381107 Filed: 06/28/2012 Page 34 of 36
CERTIFICATE OF COMPLIANCE WITH RULE 32(a)

IT IS HEREBY CERTIFIED:

1. That the foregoing Brief of Appellant complies with the type-volume

limitation of Rule 32(a)(7)(B), Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure, because this

brief contains 5,868 words, excluding the parts of the brief exempted by Rule

32(a)(7)(B)(iii).

2. This brief complies with the typeface requirements of Fed. R. App. P.

32(a)(5) and the type style requirements of Fed. R. App. P. 32(a)(6) because this

brief has been prepared in a proportionally spaced typeface using WordPerfect

version 14.0.0.756 in 14-point Times New Roman.

 /s/ Herbert W. Titus 

Herbert W. Titus

Attorney for Amici Curiae

Dated: June 28, 2012

USCA Case #12-5117 Document #1381107 Filed: 06/28/2012 Page 35 of 36
CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE

IT IS HEREBY CERTIFIED that service of the foregoing Brief Amicus

Curiae of Free Speech Coalition, Inc., et al., in Support of Appellants and

Reversal, was made, this 28th day of June 2012, by the Court’s Case

Management/Electronic Case Files system upon the following attorneys for the

parties:

Jason Brett Torchinsky

Holtzman Vogel Josefiak, PLLC

45 North Hill Drive

Suite 100

Warrenton, VA 20186

jtorchinsky@hvjlaw.com

and

Thomas W. Kirby

Wiley Rein LLP

1776 K Street, NW

Washington, DC 20006-2359

tkirby@wileyrein.com

Attorneys for Appellants

Roger M. Witten

Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and

Dorr LLP

399 Park Avenue

New York, NY 10022

Roger.Witten@wilmerhale.com

Attorneys for Appellees

 /s/ Herbert W. Titus 

Herbert W. Titus

Attorney for Amici Curiae

USCA Case #12-5117 Document #1381107 Filed: 06/28/2012 Page 36 of 36