To the Editor:
Re “Justices Consider Interplay Between First Amendment and Campaign Finance Laws” (news article, March 25):
The comments made by Malcolm L. Stewart, a government lawyer, in arguments before the Supreme Court concerning book banning under campaign finance regulation should horrify anyone who is even remotely aware of the First Amendment of the Constitution.
Defending campaign finance restrictions that limited the ability of a documentary about Hillary Rodham Clinton from being shown, Mr. Stewart stated that under the law it would be permissible to ban books mentioning political candidates in some circumstances.
Skeptics of so-called reform have long warned that these laws seek to limit or silence political speech that those in office find unwelcome. We hope that Mr. Stewart’s comments will make clear to all the danger to the First Amendment that these laws pose.
Sean Parnell
President
Center for Competitive Politics
Alexandria, Va., March 25, 2009
