Source: http://caselaw.findlaw.com/us-5th-circuit/1612828.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+FindLaw5th+%28FindLaw+Case+Law+Updates+-++5th+Circuit+COA%29
Timestamp: 2014-08-21 08:13:05
Document Index: 500980584

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 17', '§ 47', '§ 47', '§ 47', '§ 2001', '§ 2001']

DEPARTMENT OF TEXAS VETERANS OF FOREIGN WARS OF UNITED STATES 52 52 17 21 138 859 201 v. TEXAS LOTTERY COMMISSION - FindLaw
DEPARTMENT OF TEXAS, VETERANS OF FOREIGN WARS OF the UNITED STATES; Amvets Department of Texas, Incorporated; Amvets Post 52, Incorporated; Amvets Post 52, Auxiliary, Incorporated; The Great Council of Texas, Improved Order of Redmen; Redmen War Eagle Tribe No. 17; Redmen Tribe No. 21 Geronimo; Redmen Ramona Council No. 5; The Institute for Disability Access, Incorporated, doing business as Adapt of Texas; Temple Elks Lodge No. 138, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks of the United States of America, Incorporated; Bryan Lodge No. 859, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks of the United States of America, Incorporated; Austin Lodge No. 201, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks of the United States of America, Incorporated; Anna Fire and Rescue, Incorporated, Plaintiffs–Appellees, v. TEXAS LOTTERY COMMISSION; Gary Grief, Executive Director in His Official Capacity; Phillip Sanderson, Director of Charitable Bingo in His Official Capacity; Mary Ann Williamson, Commissioner in Her Official Capacity; David J. Schenck, Commissioner in his Official Capacity; J, Winston Krause, Commissioner in His Official Capacity, Defendants–Appellants.
No. 11–50932.
Anatole Robert Barnstone (argued), Austin, TX, for Plaintiffs–Appellees. Arthur Cleveland D'Andrea (argued), Office of the Atty. Gen., Office of the Sol. Gen., James Carlton Todd, Asst. Atty. Gen., Gen. Lit. Div., Austin, TX, for Defendants–Appellants.
The Texas Bingo Enabling Act allows qualifying charities to conduct bingo games in order to raise money for their charitable causes. The Act prohibits charities from using bingo proceeds for certain types of political advocacy, including lobbying and supporting or opposing ballot measures. Plaintiffs-appellees, a group of nonprofit organizations licensed to conduct bingo games, filed suit challenging those restrictions on First Amendment grounds. The district court granted summary judgment in favor of Appellees and issued a permanent injunction preventing enforcement of the challenged statutory provisions. Defendants-appellants, the commissioners and two executive officers of the Texas Lottery Commission, timely appealed. We reverse for the following reasons.BACKGROUNDThe Texas Constitution has prohibited gambling for most of the State's history. See Tex. Const. of 1845, art. VII, § 17 (“No lottery shall be authorized by this State; and the buying or selling of lottery tickets within this State is prohibited.”); see also Tex. Const. art. III, § 47 (amended 1980) (“The legislature shall pass laws prohibiting the establishment of lotteries and gift enterprises in this State, as well as the sale of tickets in lotteries, gift enterprises or other evasions involving the lottery principle, established or existing in other States.”); Hardy v. State, 102 S.W.3d 123, 130 (Tex.2003). In November 1980, Texas voters approved an amendment to the Texas Constitution establishing an exception to the general ban on gambling for charitable bingo. The exception allows the Texas Legislature to “authorize and regulate bingo games conducted by a church, synagogue, religious society, volunteer fire department, nonprofit veterans organization, fraternal organization, or nonprofit organization supporting medical research or treatment programs.” Tex. Const. art. III, § 47(b). The constitution requires that “all proceeds from the [bingo] games are spent in Texas for charitable purposes of the organizations.” Id. § 47(b)(1).Acting under the authority provided by the charitable bingo exception, the Texas Legislature passed the Bingo Enabling Act (“Bingo Act”) in 1981. Bingo Enabling Act, 67th Leg., 1st C.S., ch. 11, 1981 Tex. Gen. Laws 85 (current version at Tex. Occ.Code § 2001.001 et seq. (2012)). The Bingo Act allows qualifying nonprofit organizations to obtain a license to conduct bingo games and sets forth the rules and regulations that govern the State's charitable bingo program, which is administered by the Texas Lottery Commission. See Tex. Occ.Code §§ 2001.002(8), 2001.051. These regulations include the Texas Constitution's requirement that all bingo proceeds be used for th