01 February 2010

Advocacy, nonprofits, the Supreme Court Decision

Welcome back!

I pondered this question out loud a couple of times over the last week. Here is information from Alliance for Justice. More information on this and other advocacy issues and nonprofits can be found here. I pretty much figured this was the answer.

Question: Does the Supreme Court’s decision in Citizens United mean that a 501(c)(3) organization can now support or oppose candidates for public office?

Answer: NO.  501(c)(3)s remain subject to federal tax law’s absolute prohibition on intervening in an election campaign on behalf of or opposition to a candidate for public office.  Therefore, little will change for public charities and private foundations as a result of this opinion. For more information about what Citizens United Means for Tax-Exempt Organizations, see our report:  http://www.afj.org/connect-with-the-issues/citizens-united-overview.html.

If you have any questions about lobbying or other issues related to nonprofit advocacy, please call Alliance for Justice's toll-free technical assistance hotline at 1-866-NPLOBBY or email us at advocacy@afj.org.  

This is from Alliance for Justice's weekly Advocacy Digest. Further questions should be directed to them. I am not an attorney and nothing I say or put on this blog should be construed as legal advice.

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