Schutz and Harriman Author Article for MLRC on Mill's Veto of Constitutionally Fraught Legislation
In an article for the Media Law Resource Center's July 2023 Media Law Letter, Preti Flaherty attorneys Sig Schutz and Alex Harriman explore Gov. Janet Mills' recent veto of L.D. 1610, “An Act to Prohibit Campaign Spending by Foreign Governments and Promote an Anti-Corruption Amendment to the United States Constitution.” Among other things, L.D. 1610 would require news outlets to “establish due diligence policies, procedures and controls” to screen political communications for spending by foreign government-influenced entities. The proposed bill is part of a wave of legislation in response to public concern about foreign meddling in American elections. No state has come closer than Maine to imposing on news outlets constitutionally fraught and onerous obligations to police and censor foreign-influenced spending on political advertising. In the article, Sig and Alex examine the details of L.D. 1610 as a warning sign of what constitutional threats may be on the horizon.