Iowa Right to Life Committee, Inc. v. Tooker

133 F. Supp. 3d 1179, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 130608, 2015 WL 5692335
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. Iowa
DecidedSeptember 28, 2015
Docket4:10-cv-416
StatusPublished

This text of 133 F. Supp. 3d 1179 (Iowa Right to Life Committee, Inc. v. Tooker) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. Iowa primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Iowa Right to Life Committee, Inc. v. Tooker, 133 F. Supp. 3d 1179, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 130608, 2015 WL 5692335 (S.D. Iowa 2015).

Opinion

ORDER ON CROSS MOTIONS FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT

ROBERT W. PRATT, Judge, UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

Before the Court are Cross Motions for Summary Judgment. Defendants collectively filed a Motion for Summary Judgment on June 15, 2015. Clerk’s No. 81. Plaintiff Iowa Right to Life Committee (“IRTL”) filed a resistance on July 15, 2015. Clerk’s No. 85. IRTL also filed a Motion for Summary Judgment on June 15, 2015. Clerk’s No. 82. Defendants filed a resistance on July 15, 2015. Clerk’s No. 84. IRTL replied on July 30, 2015. Clerk’s No. 88. The matters are fully submitted.1

I. FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY

Following the Supreme Court’s decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission [“FEC”], 558 U.S. 310, 130 S.Ct. 876, 175 L.Ed.2d 753 (2010), the Iowa legislature enacted laws that legalized independent expenditures2 for corporations and other legal entities, subject to certain disclosure requirements. See Iowa Code [1183]*1183§ 68A.404. IRTL, a non-stock, nonprofit Iowa corporation, filed its original complaint in this case on September 7, 2010, raising four challenges to the constitutionality of the newly enacted laws under the First and Fourteenth Amendments. See Clerk’s No. 1. This Court disposed of all four counts on summary judgment, and IRTL appealed to the Eighth Circuit. See Iowa Right to Life Comm., Inc. v. Tooker, 795 F.Supp.2d 852 (S.D.Iowa 2011) (hereinafter “IRTL I”). The Eighth Circuit affirmed in part, reversed in part, and remanded two issues that are now before this Court. Iowa Right to Life Comm., Inc. v. Tooker, 717 F.3d 576 (8th Cir.2013), cert. denied, — U.S. —, 134 S.Ct. 1787, 188 L.Ed.2d 757 (2014) (hereinafter “IRTL III"). Below is a summary of the four .counts originally raised by IRTL and their respective outcomes on appeal.

First, IRTL claimed that Iowa Code sections 68A. 102(18) and 68A.402(9) unconstitutionally imposed political action committee (“PAC”) or permanent-organization status on groups that made independent expenditures, such as IRTL, even when those groups’ major purpose was not the nomination or election of candidates. See Iowa Right to Life Comm., Inc. v. Tooker, 844 F.Supp.2d 946, 948 (S.D.Iowa 2012) (hereinafter IRTL II). This Court certified two questions to the Iowa Supreme Court regarding the interpretation of the two Iowa statutory sections, and, after receiving an answer, concluded that “IRTL’s claim that it could be classified — or regulated — as a political committee or a permanent organization simply by making independent expenditures fails as a matter of law.” Id. at 950. Accordingly, this Court also concluded that IRTL did not have standing to challenge the definitions of “political committee” and “permanent organization.” Id. Those conclusions were affirmed by the Eighth Circuit on appeal. See IRTL III, 717 F.3d at 587.

Second, IRTL challenged several reporting and disclosure requirements, arguing that they imposed PAC-like burdens on organizations seeking to. make independent expenditures. See IRTL I, 795 F.Supp.2d at 863. Specifically, Iowa law required organizations making independent expenditures to: (1) file a disclosure form within 48 hours of making an independent expenditure in excess of $7503; (2) file subsequent reports up to four times a year; (3) file a supplemental report if the organization made an independent expenditure of more than $1,000 during an election year; and (4) file a termination report within 30 days of deciding to no longer make independent expenditures. Id. at 864. This Court granted summary judgment to Defendants on this count, concluding that all four requirements survived the “exacting scrutiny” standard set forth in Citizens United because they “greatly enhance[] the transparency of corporate expenditures while imposing only [a] reasonable burden.” Id. at 866. On appeal, the Eighth Circuit agreed in part. The Eighth Circuit held that Iowa’s requirement that organizations file certain disclosures4 within 48 hours of making an [1184]*1184independent expenditure had a “substantial relation to Iowa’s sufficiently important interest in keeping the public informed.” IRTL III, 717 F.3d at 595-96. But the Eighth Circuit concluded that the remaining three requirements — ongoing reports, supplemental reports, and termination reports — were unconstitutional burdens on free speech. Id. at 597-601.

Third, IRTL argued that Iowa Code section 68A.503, which bans direct corporate contributions to political candidates, was unconstitutional in light of Citizens United. IRTL I, 795 F.Supp.2d at 867-68. This Court granted summary judgment to Defendants, concluding that the ban was constitutional because it advanced the State’s interest in the prevention of corruption. Id. at 869. The Eighth Circuit affirmed that decision. See IRTL III, 717 F.3d at 601.

Fourth, IRTL argued that Iowa unconstitutionally forbade corporations, but not other legal entities, from making independent expenditures unless the board of directors of the corporation expressly authorized the expenditures in advance within the same calendar year (the “board-approval requirement”) and an officer of the corporation certified that such an approval had occurred (the “certification requirement”). See IRTL I, 795 F.Supp.2d at 870. IRTL argued that the board-approval and certification requirements were an unconstitutional restriction on free speech under the First Amendment and also violated its equal protection rights under the Fourteenth Amendment. See id. This Court concluded that IRTL did not have standing to bring the First or Fourteenth Amendment claims, because it had not shown that it was injured. Id. at 872. This Court also con-eluded that IRTL had not shown it was similarly situated to other organizations that weren’t subject to the requirements, and, therefore, IRTL’s claim that corporations were unconstitutionally targeted failed as a matter of law. Id. at 873. The Eighth Circuit held that, based on the statutory language, the board-approval requirement did not target corporations because it required all entities making independent expenditures to obtain approval from a board or similar governing body. See IRTL III, 717 F.3d at 605. But, the Eighth Circuit concluded that the certification requirement did unconstitutionally target corporations, because only corporations were specifically required to certify that an expenditure had board approval. Id. Since that decision, the Iowa legislature amended the certification requirement to encompass all legal entities, not just corporations. See Clerk’s No. 82-6 at 5. Importantly, the Eighth Circuit also reversed this Court’s conclusion that IRTL lacked standing to challenge the board-approval and certification requirements under the First and Fourteenth Amendment and remanded the case to this Court to consider those issues. See IRTL III, 717 F.3d at 604-05.

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Bluebook (online)
133 F. Supp. 3d 1179, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 130608, 2015 WL 5692335, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/iowa-right-to-life-committee-inc-v-tooker-iasd-2015.