Opinion ID: 1342272
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Applying II to I

Text: The State would have us distinguish the Bellotti case from the case under consideration on the grounds that W.Va.Code, 3-8-8(b)(1)(C) [1978] permits the use of corporate facilities for the purpose of soliciting voluntary contributions from stockholders and employees which may then be expended from a separate fund for political purposes. While this does provide a tenuous basis for distinguishing the two cases, the Court concludes that the United States Supreme Court squarely held that a state may not limit a corporation's right to communicate its views on public issues. See also Consolidated Edison Co. v. Public Service Commission, 447 U.S. 530, 100 S.Ct. 2326, 65 L.Ed.2d 319 (1980). The difficulty of achieving a majority consensus in this controversial area of political balance and free speech undoubtedly had its effect upon the majority opinion in Bellotti. We find it difficult to follow the logic of the Supreme Court's opinion which distinguishes between election issues and support of candidates. Nevertheless the facts of the case and the Supreme Court's holding are both abundantly clear. It is important, however, to recognize that the Supreme Court distinguished between corporate speech which relates to public issues and corporate speech which relates to the election of individual candidates for office, so that our opinion today in no way disturbs our State statute on this latter subject. A majority of this Court (but not this writer) disagree with the conclusions concerning corporate speech enunciated in Bellotti ; however, the obligation of this Court is to follow the law as articulated by the United States Supreme Court. Consequently, the Court finds that to the extent that W.Va.Code, 3-8-8 [1978] and W.Va.Code, 3-9-14 [1978] prohibit the expenditure of corporate money on direct corporate speech for the purpose of influencing the vote on a referendum issue at a public election, they are unconstitutional. In all other regards we find those statutory provisions constitutional and, rather than strike the provisions in their entirety, apply our doctrine of the least intrusive remedy to prohibit only their enforcement against corporations engaging in direct corporate speech on a public issue. As this Court said in syl. pt. 2 of Weaver v. Shaffer, W.Va., 290 S.E.2d 244 (1980): Where a statute serves an urgent and necessary public purpose but is technically deficient for constitutional reasons, this Court will apply the doctrine of the least intrusive remedy and give the statute, wherever possible, an interpretation which will cure its defect and save it from total invalidation. See also State ex rel. Harris v. Calendine, W.Va., 233 S.E.2d 318 (1977). Again we emphasize that our holding in no way affects the law with regard to contributions to political candidates or direct corporate speech in support of, or in opposition to, political candidates running in public elections. After oral argument on 29 September 1981, we handed down a decision in favor of the plaintiffs on 15 October 1981. On 12 November 1981, after the Road Bond Amendment had been defeated at the polls, we granted the West Virginia Education Association and A. James Manchin, as Secretary of State of West Virginia, the right to intervene. On 15 December 1981 we granted a rehearing to the original and intervening parties so that we could consider any issues that were either not raised or not fully developed due to the necessary speed with which this case was originally heard. This case was reargued before us on 5 May 1982. We now conclude that the original decision interpreted and applied the law correctly. Accordingly for the reasons set forth above this Court confirms the lower court's ruling on the constitutionality of the statutes in question as those statutes relate to direct corporate speech addressed to referendum issues but we decline to invalidate the statutes as they relate to other areas of corporate participation in elections. Ruling affirmed.