NEW YORK – A lawsuit filed by a not-for-profit political agency against New York State which sought to allow the agency — Citizens United — to keep its donor list private has been dismissed.
The suit claimed that the agency’s donors could suffer a backlash if their names were made public. New York State law requires not-for-profit agencies to submit annual reports to the state indicating their source of funding, including individual donors.
Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman praised the dismissal. His office was specifically named in the suit.
“Today’s decision is a victory for common sense oversight of New York’s vast nonprofit sector,” Schneiderman said. “New Yorkers deserve to know their donations are protected against fraud and abuse, and today the court protected that right by dismissing each and every one of Citizen United’s claims.”
The full opinion can be read here.
Citizens United is best known for winning a lawsuit against the Federal Communications Commission in 2010, which then allowed not-for-profit entities, for-profit corporations, labor unions and other associations to spend limitless money in political campaigns.
