“This is a major victory for the millions of Americans who support charitable causes. The First Amendment protects against forced disclosure of private donor information. We stand strong to push back when the government oversteps their bounds.” – Sam MacRoberts, Litigation Director for KJI.
The case stems from a 2010 action by then-California Attorney General Kamala Harris in which charities would no longer be able to fundraise within California unless they turned over donor information to state officials. The case changed names as Kamala Harris left the California Attorney General’s Office and continues under the name of her successor, Xavier Becerra. The case changed names as Kamala Harris left the California Attorney General’s Office and continues under the name of the current California Attorney General.
* The brief was filed when the case continued under Xavier Becerra while the final ruling was issued while Rob Bonta held the position.
There is no good reason why the government should be able to keep lists of people’s names, address, and the charities they support. The First Amendment protects against forced disclosure of private information without a compelling need. All non-profit groups should be alarmed by what happened. We stand strong to push back when the government oversteps their bounds.
As the U.S. Supreme Court wrote in NAACP v. Alabama in a similar attempt at mandated donor disclosure, “it is hardly a novel perception that compelled disclosure of affiliation with groups engaged in advocacy may constitute as effective a restraint on freedom of association[.]”