Federal court upholds Hawaii laws mandating transparency in political campaigns

The U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday upheld Hawaii campaign finance laws allowing the public to “follow the money” and determine who is attempting to influence their vote.

A political action committee had challenged the constitutionality of Hawaii’s campaign finance laws, including transparency provisions applying to all political action committees that spend over $1000 to influence a state election, according to the Hawaii Department of the Attorney General.

“Without these laws, it would be impossible for the public to determine what interests are funding political action committees, including the big-money SuperPACs,” said state Campaign Spending Commission Executive Director Kristin Izumi-Nitao. “This ruling underscores the importance of encouraging transparency in political campaigns and guarding against corruption.”

The federal appeals court also upheld a Hawaii law banning government contractors from contributing to candidates for legislative office.

“Campaign finance laws exist to inform the public and protect the democratic process,” said Attorney General Doug Chin. “The Ninth Circuit’s ruling reaffirms these values and I am very pleased with the result.”

The case, called Yamada v. Snipes, was filed in the federal district court in 2010. Most of the challenged laws were upheld in proceedings before that court, which ended in 2012, and plaintiffs appealed. The Ninth Circuit heard oral arguments in October 2013.