U.S. Chamber of Commerce Files Suit to Block Hawaii’s Corporate Political Spending Ban
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has sued Hawaii’s attorney general and commerce director to stop Act 11, a law that would prohibit corporations and other groups from spending on elections.
The nation’s largest business lobby has filed a federal suit against Hawaii Attorney General Anne Lopez and Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs Director Nadine Ando, seeking to invalidate Act 11. The statute, signed in May after legislative approval, aims to bar corporations, nonprofits, labor unions, trade associations and other organizations from spending money to support or oppose candidates, parties or ballot measures, effectively overturning the Supreme Court’s 2010 Citizens United decision.
The Chamber contends the law improperly restricts the speech rights of non-Hawaiian corporations and would subject violators to penalties ranging from loss of charter to dissolution. Lopez testified that defending the law would likely be impossible without a Supreme Court reversal and could impose hefty legal fees on the state. A previous challenge by the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii argued the act is both vague and a direct ban on speech, and the Chamber’s filing adds a national dimension through its New Fight for Free Enterprise campaign.
Why it matters
The case could reshape how states regulate corporate political spending and test limits of First Amendment protections.
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