WASHINGTON, D.C.—The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6-3 in favor of two donor-supported national organizations that challenged the constitutionality of Californiaâs requirement that charities and nonprofits operating in the state must provide the state attorney generalâs office with the names and addresses of their largest donors.
The High Court ruled that the California donor disclosure requirement is facially invalid because it burdens donorsâ First Amendment rights and is not narrowly tailored to an important government interest.
More than 250 organizations submitted amicus briefs arguing against Californiaâs donor disclosure law
In Americans for Prosperity Foundation v. Bonta (consolidated with Thomas More Law Center v. Bonta), the two nonprofits argued that the rule violates the First Amendment by discouraging their donors from making contributions. The California attorney generalâs office has attempted to require all charities and nonprofits that raise money in the state to disclose their Schedule B information, which includes the names and addresses of top donors, from their IRS 990 Forms. Although California says it keeps this information confidential, the state has already leaked thousands of Schedule B forms since the state attorney general first started trying to enforce the requirement in 2010.