New York Civil Liberties Union v. Grandeau

528 F.3d 122, 2008 U.S. App. LEXIS 12083, 2008 WL 2311584
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Second Circuit
DecidedJune 6, 2008
DocketDocket 06-4895-cv
StatusPublished
Cited by82 cases

This text of 528 F.3d 122 (New York Civil Liberties Union v. Grandeau) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
New York Civil Liberties Union v. Grandeau, 528 F.3d 122, 2008 U.S. App. LEXIS 12083, 2008 WL 2311584 (2d Cir. 2008).

Opinion

SOTOMAYOR, Circuit Judge:

Plaintiff-appellant the New York Civil Liberties Union (“NYCLU”) appeals from a September 28, 2006 judgment of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (Preska, J.), dismissing as moot its complaint against defendant-appellee David Gran-deau, in his capacity as Executive Director of the New York Temporary State Commission on Lobbying (“Grandeau” and the “Commission”). See N.Y. Civil Liberties Union v. Grandeau, 453 F.Supp.2d 800 (S.D.N.Y.2006). This case arises out of the Commission’s inquiry into whether the NYCLU incurred reportable lobbying expenses in connection with a billboard promoting awareness of free speech issues in private shopping malls erected near the Crossgates Mall in Albany, New York. After receiving the Commission’s request for additional information on its billboard expenses, the NYCLU filed a complaint alleging that the Commission’s demand for reporting on expenses for non-lobbying advocacy activity violates the First Amendment. Although the Commission ultimately abandoned its demand for additional reporting by the NYCLU on the billboard, we cannot agree with the district court’s finding that this case moot because the NYCLU’s complaint challenged an alleged Commission policy beyond the specific billboard controversy. Nevertheless, we conclude as a prudential matter that the NYCLU’s policy challenge is not ripe for judicial review. We therefore AFFIRM the district court’s grant of summary judgment in favor of the defendant and dismissal of the complaint.

BACKGROUND

In 1981, the New York State Assembly enacted the Lobbying Act (the “Act”), designed “to preserve and maintain the integrity of the governmental decision-making process in the state” by requiring disclosure of the “identity, expenditures, and activities” of people or organizations involved in influencing state decision-making processes in certain ways. N.Y. Legis. Law § 1-a. 1 The Act contains a series of restrictions and reporting requirements for individuals and entities that engage in lobbying activities. “Lobbying activities” are defined as “any attempt to influence” governmental decision-making in a variety of forms, including, inter alia, “the passage or defeat of any legislation by either house of the state legislature or approval or disapproval of any legislation by the governor.” § l-c(c). The Act requires every lobbyist to register with the Commission and file regular reports containing detailed information on its lobbying activities. See, e.g., § 1 — h(b)(3) (requiring a description of the subject matter and legislative bill numbers associated with lobbying activities). These reports must also list “any expenses expended, received or incurred by the lobbyist for the purposes of lobbying,” § 1 — h(b)(5)(i), and, except for expenses under seventy-five dollars, detail those expenses “as to *126 amount, to whom paid, and for what purpose,” § 1 — h(b)(5)(ii).

The NYCLU is a not-for-profit membership organization that engages in “a full range of advocacy, including lobbying, litigation, and public education.” Compl. ¶ 10. It routinely files reports with the Commission about its lobbying activities. According to the NYCLU, “[o]n many issues about which it lobbies, the NYCLU also engages in a range of advocacy that is not lobbying: that is, does not involve communications with lawmakers or other relevant public officials. That advocacy includes, but is not limited to, public rallies, reports, newsletters, communications through media outlets, op-ed pieces, websites, reports, films, and flyers.” Appellant’s Br. 8.

One such advocacy initiative was the Crossgates Mall billboard. In March 2003, Stephen Downs was arrested at the Cross-gates Mall for wearing a t-shirt bearing the words “Give Peace a Chance,” in reference to the impending war in Iraq, and for refusing to take it off when told to do so by mall security. Compl. ¶ 14. His arrest triggered a wave of media attention, and the NYCLU became involved in challenging what it deemed to be an abridgement of Mr. Downs’ free speech rights. 2 According to the NYCLU, a third party approached it seeking to collaborate on a billboard, to be placed near the Crossgates Mall, promoting free-speech rights at shopping malls. Compl. ¶ 19. Independently and subsequent to that solicitation, a New York State Assembly Member prepared a bill proposing to entitle New Yorkers to exercise certain free-speech rights in shopping malls in the state. “Consistent with its position on this issue and with its longtime participation in legislative advocacy, the NYCLU extensively communicated with the Assembly Member about development of this proposal and publicly endorsed the proposal at a news conference” in March 2003. Compl. ¶ 21. At the same time the NYCLU endorsed the legislative proposal, it announced the unveiling of the billboard near Crossgates Mall. The billboard featured an image of a person who was gagged and included the following text: “Welcome to the mall. You have the right to remain silent. Value free speech. www.nyclu.org.” The billboard did not mention any legislative proposal or call upon anyone to take action with respect to the proposal. It remained up for one month. Compl. ¶ 22.

In its semi-annual report on lobbying activities in July 2003, the NYCLU reported “all lobbying work done in conjunction with the New York State Assembly bill, including its appearance at the [March] press conference.” Compl. ¶ 25. It did not, however, include information about the billboard or any of NYCLU’s “nonlob-bying work concerning free speech rights in shopping malls.” Id.

On October 28, 2003, the NYCLU received a letter from a program analyst at the Commission stating, in pertinent part, “reportable lobbying expenses include the funding of parties, receptions, and all events which are hosted by the client with a special interest in pending legislation. ... The Commission is aware of an expense for advertising on a billboard. It appears that certain costs of this event are reportable lobbying expenses and, therefore, must be reported as such.” Five *127 days later, the NYCLU filed its complaint. The complaint was assigned to Judge Preska as a case related to another matter pending on her docket, Hip-Hop Summit Action Network v. New York Temporary State Commission on Lobbying, No. 03-civ-5553, 2003 WL 22832569 (S.D.N.Y. Nov. 25, 2003), which principally involved a First Amendment challenge to the Commission’s investigation of certain individuals alleged to be lobbyists but who failed to register with the Commission. 3 Id. The NYCLU’s complaint in the instant action alleged that the Commission violated the First Amendment by insisting that it “report as lobbying advocacy that makes no mention of pending legislation nor exhorts any action with respect to pending legislation, including but not limited to its erection of the billboard outside the Crossgates Mall.” Compl. ¶ 41 (emphasis added). The NYCLU sought a declaratory judgment along with a preliminary and permanent injunction to prevent the Commission from forcing the NYCLU to report such alleged non-lobbying advocacy activities.

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Bluebook (online)
528 F.3d 122, 2008 U.S. App. LEXIS 12083, 2008 WL 2311584, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/new-york-civil-liberties-union-v-grandeau-ca2-2008.