Chamber of Commerce sues Secretary of State over campaign finance ruling

The Michigan Chamber of Commerce has filed a federal suit against Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land, claiming that a recent campaign finance ruling infringes on the organizations First Amendment right to free speech, the Grand Rapids Press reports.

In May Land ruled that the Chamber can spend any amount it wishes on ads that tell people how to vote but it cannot collect money from other groups for the purpose of funding these ads.

“A corporation’s political speech must be funded exclusively by that corporation,” she wrote.

“Her ruling is wrong and it creates an unconstitutional interpretation … of the Campaign Finance Act,” said Gary Gordon, the chamber’s attorney.

Gordon is asking for the court to intervene on the chamber’s behalf. The lawsuit cites four recent court rulings in Washington D.C., Minnesota, and California that Gordon says support his client’s positions and were not considered in Land’s ruling.

Land issued her ruling after the chamber requested guidance in light of the U.S. Supreme Court deciding that corporations, unions and other groups can buy unlimited ads that promote or attack a candidate.