Columbus, OH – On Thursday, The Buckeye Institute filed an amicus brief in No on E v. Chiu, calling on the U.S. Supreme Court to hear the case and protect America’s “honorable tradition” of anonymous political speech.

“From Mrs. Silence Dogood to Publius to Brutus to the Federal Farmer, our Founding Fathers recognized the importance of anonymous political speech. And thank goodness they did,” said Jay R. Carson, senior litigator at The Buckeye Institute. “Requiring speakers not only to disclose their identities but to devote a portion of their speech to the government’s message finds no support in our nation’s history.”

The Institute for Free Speech represents a bipartisan coalition of groups and individuals in No on E v. Chiu challenging a San Francisco requirement that forces candidates and groups backing or opposing ballot measures to list not only the name of the organization sponsoring the ad, but the names of donors and donors to those donors on any advertisements. This lengthy disclaimer is government speech that San Franciscans must pay for before they are free to speak their own message. Failure to include the disclaimer can trigger criminal and civil penalties, including fines of up to $5,000.

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UPDATE: On October 7, 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court denied cert in No on E v. Chiu.