United States Fifth Circuit

The Fifth Circuit followed a number of other circuits in adopting the rule that a state may regulate a political advertisement only if the advertisement advocates in express terms the election or defeat of a candidate; here, because plaintiff's advertisements do not contain explicit words advocating specific electoral action for or against the featured candidates, the advertisements do not constitute "express advocacy," and are not subject to mandatory disclosure requirements under Mississippi election statute. (Revised opinion).

Appellate Information

• Decided 04/05/2002
• Published 04/15/2002

Judges

• E. GRADY JOLLY, Circuit Judge:, Before JOLLY and PARKER, Circuit Judges, and MILLS, District Judge.

Court

• United States Fifth Circuit

Counsel

• For Appellant:
  
• Jan Witold Baran (argued), Wiley, Rein & Fielding, Bobby Roy Burchfield, Timothy Joseph Keefer, Covington & Burling, Stephen A. Bokat, Nat. Chamber Litigation Center, Washington, DC, Michael Brunson Wallace, Phelps Dunbar, Jackson, MS, Christopher Raymond Green, University of Notre Dame, Dept. of Philosophy, Notre Dame, IN, for Plaintiff-Appellant., Todd F. Lang, Phoenix, AZ, Edward B. Foley (argued), The Ohio State University College of Law, Columbus, OH, for all Amici Curiae parties., Ken Salazar, Denver, CO, for State of Colorado, Amicus Curiae., Richard Blunenthal, Hartford, CT, for State of Connecticut, Amicus Curiae., Robert A. Butterworth, Tallahassee, FL, for State of Florida, Amicus Curiae., Earl I. Anazi, Honolulu, HI, for State of Hawaii, Amicus Curiae., Thomas J. Miller, Des Moines, IA, for State of Iowa, Amicus Curiae., R. Gray Sexton, Baton Rouge, LA, Richard Phillip Ieyoub, Shreveport, LA, for State of Louisiana, Amicus Curiae., Jeremiah W. Nixon, Jefferson City, MO, for State of Missouri, Amicus Curiae., Patricia A. Madrid, Santa Fe, NM, for State of New Mexico, Amicus Curiae., Frankie Sue Del Papa, Carson City, NV, for State of Nevada, Amicus Curiae., Roy Cooper, Raleigh, NC, for State of North Carolina, Amicus Curiae., William H. Sorrell, Montpelier, VT, for State of Vermont, Amicus Curiae., Christine O. Gregoire, Olympia, WA, for State of Washington, Amicus Curiae., Darrell V. McGraw, Jr., Charleston, WV, for State of West Virginia, Amicus Curiae., Robert Sanchez-Ramos, San Juan, PR, for Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Amicus Curiae., W.A. Edmondson, Oklahoma City, OK, for State of Oklahoma, Amicus Curiae., Andrew H. Baida, Sol. Gen., Baltimore, MD, for State of Maryland, Amicus Curiae.


• For Appellees:
  
• Tom Hunt Cole, Jr., Eugene C. Stone, Harold Edward Pizzetta, III (argued), Jackson, MS, for Defendants-Appellees.