Skip to content

SCOTUS Orders Disclosure for "Dark Money" Spending on Political Ads

SCOTUS Orders Disclosure for "Dark Money" Spending on Political Ads
Published:

The Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered the closure -- at least temporarily -- of a loophole that allows certain nonprofit political groups who spend on political ads to not disclose their donor lists (commonly referred to as "dark money").

The loophole was established nearly 40 years ago by the FEC, and became a focal point for campaign finance reformers after the 2010 Citizens United decision.

The NPR reports:

"The court set aside an order issued by Chief Justice John Roberts on Saturday. The social welfare group Crossroads GPS, a defendant in the lawsuit, had fought to stall disclosure while it prepares to appeal. It failed in the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals and then appealed to the Supreme Court.

The disclosure requirement is expected to apply to explicitly political ads by nonprofit groups for the remaining weeks of the campaign season."

Read the full report here.

Photo Credit: isak55 / shutterstock.com

Shawn M Griffiths

Election Reform Editor for IVN.us since 2012. Studied history and philosophy at University of North Texas. Covers political and election reform efforts nationwide with deep expertise on the reform movement. Based in San Diego, CA.

IVN is rated Center by AllSides and High Credibility by MBFC — follow our independent journalism in your feed.

Add IVN on Google

Contact IVN

Questions about this article or our coverage? Send us a message. A free IVN member account is required.

Message sent

Thanks, we’ll review it and get back to you if needed.

Message not sent

Sorry, something went wrong. Please try again.

Sign in to send a message

Messages are tied to your IVN member account. Signing in is free and takes a few seconds.