Delaware Disclosure Law Upheld by Federal Appeals Court

Statement by Claire Snyder-Hall, Program Director, Common Cause Delaware

“This morning, transparency and accountability in our elections won the day. After Citizens United unleashed the floodgates to unlimited special interest campaign spending, Delaware adopted one of the strongest disclosure laws in the country to assure that voters would – at the very least – know where all of the money in politics is coming from. Transparency and disclosure of campaign cash helps Delaware citizens hold our elected officials accountable and make informed choices at the ballot box.”

In its unanimous opinion, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit ruled that Delaware’s Elections Disclosure Act is constitutional as applied to “Delaware Strong Families,” a group that sought to distribute voter guides in the 2014 elections. Common Cause joined an amici brief in the case and was represented by attorneys at the Brennan Center for Justice & Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP.