United States DC Circuit

In a First Amendment challenge to the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007, judgment for defendants is affirmed where: 1) the government had a compelling interest in providing the public and its elected representatives with information regarding who was being hired, who was putting up the money, and how much they were spending to influence public officials; and 2) the statute effectively advanced that interest.

Appellate Information

• Decided 09/08/2009
• Published 09/08/2009

Judges

• Before GINSBURG, HENDERSON, and GARLAND, Circuit Judges.

Court

• United States DC Circuit

Counsel

• For Appellant:
  
• Thomas W. Kirby argued the cause for appellant. With him on the briefs were Jan Witold Baran, Jan Amundson, and Quentin Riegel., Brady C. Williamson was on the brief for amici curiae Iowa Association of Business and Industry, et al. in support of appellant.


• For Appellees:
  
• Nicholas J. Bagley, Attorney, U.S. Department of Justice, argued the cause for appellee Jeffrey A. Taylor. With him on the brief were Gregory G. Katsas, Acting Assistant Attorney General, Jeffrey A. Taylor, U.S. Attorney, Jonathan F. Cohn, Deputy Assistant Attorney General, and Michael S. Raab, Attorney., Thomas E. Caballero, Assistant Senate Legal Counsel, Office of Senate Legal Counsel, argued the cause for appellees Nancy Erickson, et al. With him on the brief were Morgan J. Frankel, Senate Legal Counsel, Patricia Mack Bryan, Deputy Senate Legal Counsel, Grant R. Vinik, Assistant Senate Legal Counsel, Irvin B. Nathan, General Counsel, U.S. House of Representatives, Kerry W. Kircher, Deputy General Counsel, and Christine M. Davenport and Richard A. Kaplan, Assistant Counsel., Donald J. Simon, Fred Wertheimer, and J. Gerald Hebert were on the brief for amici curiae Campaign Legal Center, et al. in support of appellees.