Press Release: 10/22/2025

Maine’s fight shows why our work matters

 

Today’s Boston Globe reports on a high-profile court case out of Maine that could change how elections are funded nationwide.

The case centers on a ballot question written by Harvard Professor Larry Lessig, which limits contributions to Super PACs to $5,000 per donor. That’s the same proposal he tried to bring here to Massachusetts.

While this proposal became law in Maine and is now making its way through the courts, thanks to the Fiscal Alliance Foundation, it never made it past the starting line here in Massachusetts.

When Lessig filed his Massachusetts version, our team immediately took action, submitting detailed testimony to the Attorney General explaining how the proposal would violate the constitutional rights of free speech and association. The Attorney General agreed and struck it down.

Lessig appealed. We didn’t back down. The Fiscal Alliance Foundation filed an amicus brief before the Supreme Judicial Court, which upheld the Attorney General’s decision.

As a result, the people of Massachusetts were spared from a dangerous and unconstitutional ballot question designed to silence the public and protect political insiders.

Now, that same proposal has resurfaced in Maine and could eventually reach the U.S. Supreme Court. The Globe may be looking to Maine today, but here in Massachusetts, the outcome is already clear.

We proved that these speech restrictions can be stopped in their tracks.

The Fiscal Alliance Foundation will continue leading the fight to defend free speech and protect the right of every citizen to participate fully in the political process, without limits imposed by politicians or professors.

Thank you for helping us keep Massachusetts free.

Sincerely,

Paul D. Craney

Executive Director

Fiscal Alliance Foundation