9th Circus uses delaying tactics to block free speech

SCOTUS has held that the ability to spend as much as you like in support of candidates you agree with is an important part of free speech, including spending by corporations.  The 9th circus   thinks it is a law unto itself, however

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reinstated Montana's campaign donation limits, telling the federal judge who struck down the limits that the panel needs to see his full reasoning so it can review the case.

The court intervened late Tuesday less than a week after the judge's decision opened the door to unlimited money in state elections - during the height of election season.

In response, U.S. District Judge Charles Lovell issued a 38-page conclusion Wednesday morning that reinforced his earlier decision finding that the state's limits are too low to allow effective campaigning. He suggested the state Legislature would have a "clean canvas" to perhaps establish new, higher limits that could meet constitutional muster.

The 9th circuit did not immediately respond, leaving the state limits in place - for the time being. The legal back and forth came with less than a month until Election Day.

One of the attorneys working for the Washington D.C.-based American Tradition Partnership, a group at the center of several Montana cases, said they hope the appeals court will lift its stay in the wake of Lovell's full decision.

Montana has seen many of its laws struck down in the wake of the Citizens United decision that opened the door for more corporate spending in federal races, citing freedom of speech issues.

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