{"id":2352618,"date":"2024-10-09T12:58:02","date_gmt":"2024-10-09T16:58:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/court-ohio-can-prohibit-foreign-money-in-ballot-campaigns\/"},"modified":"2024-10-09T12:58:57","modified_gmt":"2024-10-09T16:58:57","slug":"court-ohio-can-prohibit-foreign-money-in-ballot-campaigns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/court-ohio-can-prohibit-foreign-money-in-ballot-campaigns\/","title":{"rendered":"Court: Ohio Can Prohibit Foreign Money In Ballot Campaigns"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fcourt-ohio-can-prohibit-foreign-money-in-ballot-campaigns%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2352618&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>A recent \u200cruling by the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals allows \u2063an \u2062Ohio law banning \u2063foreign contributions in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ohio-seeks-to-uphold-ban-on-foreign-money-in-ballot-campaigns\/\" title=\"Ohio Seeks To Uphold Ban On Foreign Money In Ballot Campaigns\">state ballot initiative campaigns<\/a> to take effect for the 2024\u200d election. The court expressed concerns over foreign influence in\u200b elections and found\u200c the original district court&#8217;s analysis of the law&#8217;s constitutionality flawed. The appellate court temporarily stayed\u2062 an injunction that had prevented the law from being enacted. The law prohibits foreign nationals from \u2062making contributions to ballot issues and restricts political parties\u2064 and candidates from accepting such \u2064funds. This decision is \u200dseen as a protective measure against foreign interference, reflecting heightened concerns over \u2064foreign\u200d impacts on U.S. elections. Supporters of\u200d the law argue that it aligns with existing regulations that restrict foreign contributions in other election areas.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"article-body body-md bdr-top-black pt-30\">\n<div class=\"row justify-content-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12\">\n<figure class=\"article-thumbnail mb-30 mb-sm-60\">\n<div class=\"article-thumbnail-caption d-flex align-items-center justify-content-md-end label-xs mt-15\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-camera me-10\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Image Credit<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pexels.com\/photo\/assorted-banknotes-and-round-silver-colored-coins-210574\/\">Pixabay\/Pexels<\/a>       <\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-share text-center article-share-simple\">\n<h5 class=\"label-sm mb-10\">Share<\/h5>\n<ul class=\"article-share-list list-unstyled m-0 p-0\">\n<li class=\"article-share-facebook m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/10\/09\/court-safeguards-barring-foreign-money-in-ohio-ballot-campaigns-can-take-effect-for-2024-election\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-facebook\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Facebook<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-twitter m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=Court:%20Safeguards%20Barring%20Foreign%20Money%20In%20Ohio%20Ballot%20Campaigns%20Can%20Take%20Effect%20For%202024%20Election&amp;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/10\/09\/court-safeguards-barring-foreign-money-in-ohio-ballot-campaigns-can-take-effect-for-2024-election\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Twitter<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-truth-social m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/share?title=Court:%20Safeguards%20Barring%20Foreign%20Money%20In%20Ohio%20Ballot%20Campaigns%20Can%20Take%20Effect%20For%202024%20Election&amp;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/10\/09\/court-safeguards-barring-foreign-money-in-ohio-ballot-campaigns-can-take-effect-for-2024-election\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">         <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" fill=\"currentColor\" style=\"width:36px;height:auto;\" viewbox=\"0 0 92 93\"><path d=\"M69.444 55.716H56.772v10.37h12.672zM64.487 37.795V27.32H38.666v38.664h13.18v-28.19zM21.05 27.321h12.653v10.471H21.051z\" https:><\/path><\/svg>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Truth Social<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-link m-0\">       <button data-clipboard-text=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/10\/09\/court-safeguards-barring-foreign-money-in-ohio-ballot-campaigns-can-take-effect-for-2024-election\/\" data-tooltip-content=\"Copied!\" class=\"clip tooltip\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-link-variant\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Copy Article Link<\/span>       <\/button>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\">       <a href=\"mailto:?subject=Court:%20Safeguards%20Barring%20Foreign%20Money%20In%20Ohio%20Ballot%20Campaigns%20Can%20Take%20Effect%20For%202024%20Election&amp;body=Tens%20of%20millions%20of%20dollars%20in%20foreign%20money%20have%20been%20used%20to%20influence%20ballot%20measure%20in%20Ohio.%20https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/10\/09\/court-safeguards-barring-foreign-money-in-ohio-ballot-campaigns-can-take-effect-for-2024-election\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-email\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article via Email<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\"><span class=\"printfriendly pf-button  pf-alignleft\"><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/thefederalist.com\/#\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" onclick=\"window.print(); return false;\" title=\"Printer Friendly, PDF &amp; Email\"><span id=\"printfriendly-text2\" class=\"pf-button-text\"><i class=\"mdi mdi-printer\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<p>An Ohio law prohibiting the use and acceptance of foreign money in state ballot initiative campaigns can take effect for the 2024 election, a federal appellate court ruled Tuesday.<\/p>\n<p>Writing on behalf of the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals, Judge Amul Thapar <a href=\"https:\/\/www.opn.ca6.uscourts.gov\/opinions.pdf\/24a0229p-06.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">granted<\/a> an emergency request by Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose and Attorney General David Yost to place a stay on an August district court injunction that <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/09\/06\/ohio-republicans-ask-court-to-uphold-prohibition-on-foreign-money-in-ballot-initiative-campaigns\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">prevented<\/a> the law from being enacted. The district judge overseeing the case argued the statute&rsquo;s definition of &ldquo;foreign nationals&rdquo; is &ldquo;likely unconstitutional,&rdquo; adding these individuals &ldquo;have political speech rights&rdquo; covered by the First Amendment.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-8358022bc45ba1b3e4583f826b7689ca fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-8358022bc45ba1b3e4583f826b7689ca\"><\/div>\n<p>The appellate court <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/09\/25\/appellate-court-greenlights-ohios-prohibition-on-foreign-cash-in-ballot-initiative-campaigns-for-now\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">issued<\/a> a temporary stay on that injunction last month while it considered the merits of the case. <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Because our initial review suggests that the district court&rsquo;s First Amendment analysis was flawed, we now grant Ohio&rsquo;s motion for a stay of the district court&rsquo;s order,&rdquo; Thapar wrote.<\/p>\n<p>Thapar was joined in his majority opinion by Judge David McKeague. The dissent was authored by Judge Stephanie Davis.<\/p>\n<p>Approved by lawmakers earlier this year,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.legislature.ohio.gov\/135-special-session\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">HB 1<\/a>&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.legislature.ohio.gov\/files\/special-session\/hb1_04_EN.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">stipulates<\/a>&nbsp;that foreign nationals are prohibited from making &ldquo;a contribution, expenditure, or independent expenditure in support of or opposition to a statewide ballot issue or question, regardless of whether the ballot issue or question has yet been certified to appear on the ballot.&rdquo; The bill further barred foreign money from being given to political parties, candidates, or campaigns &mdash; all of which are prohibited from &ldquo;knowingly&rdquo; accepting such funds.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-6ba852919f977ad2f0fbf706f4c7c3ee fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-6\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-6ba852919f977ad2f0fbf706f4c7c3ee\"><\/div>\n<p>The law was passed with the purpose of warding off interference by&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/the%20legislation%20further%20barred%20foreign%20money%20from%20being%20given%20to%20political%20parties\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">foreign actors<\/a>&nbsp;such as&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.influencewatch.org\/person\/hansjorg-wyss\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Hansj&ouml;rg Wyss<\/a>, a Swiss national whose&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.influencewatch.org\/non-profit\/berger-action-fund\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Berger Action Fund<\/a>&nbsp;has&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/americansforpublictrust.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/APT_1630_Ballot_Spending_Report_FINAL.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">gifted<\/a>&nbsp;hundreds of millions of dollars to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/left-wing-dark-money-groups-unite-to-undo-trumps-judicial-legacy\/\" title=\"Left-Wing Dark Money Groups Unite to Undo Trump\u2019s Judicial Legacy\">left-wing dark money groups<\/a> such as the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.influencewatch.org\/non-profit\/sixteen-thirty-fund\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Sixteen Thirty Fund<\/a>, as noted in an Americans for Public Trust April report. Last year, the latter organization&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.news5cleveland.com\/news\/politics\/ohio-politics\/ohio-senate-passes-bill-to-stop-foreign-donations-on-ballot-campaigns\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">dumped<\/a>&nbsp;more than $11 million into the pockets of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/splc-wont-say-whether-it-plans-to-designate-left-wing-groups-supporting-slaughter-in-israel-as-hate-groups\/\" title=\"SPLC silent on labeling left-wing groups backing Israel&#039;s violence as hate groups.\">left-wing groups backing<\/a> a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/pro-abortion-ballot-initiatives-win-in-five-states\/\" title=\"Pro-Abortion Ballot Initiatives Win in Five States\">pro-abortion ballot initiative<\/a> and aiming to defeat a ballot measure that sought to raise the threshold to amend the Ohio Constitution, according to a local ABC affiliate.<\/p>\n<p>In upholding the law, Thapar noted how &ldquo;[w]orries about foreign influence in American elections have escalated in recent years.&rdquo; He further argued that &ldquo;Ohio&rsquo;s rationale of preventing foreign interference in state elections has a strong pedigree in American political history, and that fact reduces its evidentiary burden under the strict scrutiny analysis.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Given this tradition of government regulation, Ohio has met its evidentiary burden for purposes of strict scrutiny,&rdquo; Thapar wrote. <\/p>\n<p>Honest Elections Project Action Executive Director Jason Snead responded positively to Tuesday&rsquo;s ruling, saying in a <a href=\"https:\/\/hepaction.org\/honest-elections-project-action-applauds-sixth-circuit-decision-to-allow-ohio-foreign-funding-ban-to-remain-in-effect\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">statement<\/a> the court made the &ldquo;correct decision.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-32d06fbfd8d619a3c2477830417df904 fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-10\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-32d06fbfd8d619a3c2477830417df904\"><\/div>\n<p>&ldquo;Foreign nationals are already banned from contributing to individual campaigns and candidates. Why should ballot issue campaigns be any different?&rdquo; Snead said. &ldquo;While the legal battle is unfortunately not likely over, Honest Elections Project Action maintains that states are clearly within their rights to ban foreign nationals like Hansjorg Wyss from contributing to state ballot issue campaigns.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p><em>For more election news and updates, visit&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/electionbriefing.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">electionbriefing.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-c000f2af95b3c7dae6f17a666e4c7646 fdrlst__b89e9-after-post-content\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-c000f2af95b3c7dae6f17a666e4c7646\"><\/div>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">\n<div class=\"article-author-description fst-italic\">      Shawn Fleetwood is a staff writer for The Federalist and a graduate of the University of Mary Washington. He previously served as a state content writer for Convention of States Action and his work has been featured in numerous outlets, including RealClearPolitics, RealClearHealth, and Conservative Review. Follow him on Twitter @ShawnFleetwood<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-30 bdr-top-bold-black\">\n<div class=\"row g-0 align-items-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6\">\n<div class=\"article-author-profile d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center justify-content-md-start\">\n<div class=\"article-author-details\">\n<div class=\"label-md\">Shawn Fleetwood<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author-twitter label-sm d-flex align-items-center mt-10\">             <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter me-5\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>             <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Visit on Twitter<\/span>            <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ShawnFleetwood\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"text-decoration-none\" rel=\"noopener\">@ShawnFleetwood<\/a>           <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6 d-flex justify-content-center justify-content-md-end mt-15 mt-md-0\">        <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/author\/shawnfleetwood\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">More Articles<\/a>     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-tags bdr-top-black mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-15 pt-md-45\">\n<ul class=\"list-unstyled d-flex flex-wrap align-items-center mb-0 mx-n10 p-0\">\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/court-ruling\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">court ruling<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/democratic-dark-money\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Democratic Dark Money<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/election-integrity-law\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Election Integrity law<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/elections\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Elections<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/foreign-election-interference\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">foreign election interference<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/foreign-funding\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">foreign funding<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/hansjorg-wyss\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Hansjorg Wyss<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/ohio\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Ohio<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/sixteen-thirty-fund\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Sixteen Thirty Fund<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>An Ohio law banning foreign money in ballot campaigns can proceed for the 2024 election, a federal appellate court decided Tuesday<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":539,"featured_media":2352619,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Money.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[40308,33740,33739,40307,4333],"class_list":["post-2352618","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-ballot-campaigns","tag-court-ruling","tag-election-law","tag-foreign-money","tag-ohio"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Money.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2352618","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/539"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2352618"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2352618\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2352619"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2352618"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2352618"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2352618"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}