Columbus, OH – On Tuesday, The Buckeye Institute filed an amicus brief in Center for Arizona Policy v. Arizona, calling on the Arizona Supreme Court to recognize that Proposition 211—Arizona’s expansive donor disclosure requirement—is not only unconstitutional, but also dangerous.

“Arizona’s Proposition 211 creates government lists of donors to nonprofit organizations. It would be difficult to find a law that is more chilling to free speech and association,” said Robert Alt, president and chief executive officer of The Buckeye Institute and counsel of record on the brief. “Four years ago, the Supreme Court of the United States struck down California’s requirement that nonprofit organizations turn over sensitive donor information to the government. Arizona’s law is worse than California’s—and should likewise be struck down.”

In its brief, The Buckeye Institute argues that our Founders’ ability to organize, speak, and associate anonymously was fundamental to the success of the American Revolution and the adoption of the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights, and would have been at the forefront of the Founders’ minds when drafting the First Amendment. Citing numerous tangible examples, Buckeye underscores that the Arizona Constitution’s free speech and freedom of association clauses offer even stronger protection than the U.S. Constitution.

The Buckeye Institute’s good friends at the Goldwater Institute represent the Center for Arizona Policy, Arizona Free Enterprise Club, and two private donors in this legal challenge to Arizona’s Proposition 211.

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