Foundation Letter to the Editor: First Amendment Is Not a "Mere Loophole"

Patrick Semmens — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 16:43:50 -0400

The Salt Lake Tribune recently ran the following letter to the editor by Foundation Vice President Stefan Gleason in response to an editorial regarding the Foundation's recent victory in federal court over attempts by union partisans to silence the Foundation's legal aid program using Utah's campaign finance regulations:

Federal Judge Smacks Down Utah's Speech Police, Campaign Finance Law Voided by National Right to Work Foundation Suit

Patrick Semmens — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 13:41:42 -0400

The U.S. District Court has pinned back the ears of the Utah political class, particularly Lieutenant Governor Herbert -- slapping down key provisions of their unconstitutional campaign finance regulations. The law was exploited by political opponents to muzzle -- even criminalize -- certain speech.

When teachers in Utah began complaining to National Right to Work Foundation attorneys in early 2007 that union activists were swarming school property and pressuring them to sign petitions to overturn a school reform measure, the Foundation took quick action by running television and radio ads offering free legal aid.

That did not sit well with union activists who complained to the state's speech regulators. The Lieutenant Governor and staff sent threatening letters to the Foundation demanding contributor information and other private information.

Free Speech

Foundation Letter to the Editor: First Amendment Is Not a "Mere Loophole"

Federal Judge Smacks Down Utah's Speech Police, Campaign Finance Law Voided by National Right to Work Foundation Suit