In May 2023, the State of Minnesota enacted the Democracy for the People Act, which includes our model legislation prohibiting foreign-influenced corporate spending in state and local elections. In June 2023, the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce filed a federal lawsuit to challenge our model legislation. The Minnesota Chamber works to advance major corporate interests in the state. We worked closely with the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office to help defend the law. In August 2024, FSFP and the Minnesota law firm, Lockridge Grindal Nauen, on behalf of Clean Elections Minnesota, filed an amicus brief in federal court in support of the State of Minnesota and this landmark law. On February 7, 2025, a federal district court judge (a Trump appointee) issued a ruling invalidating this law as unconstitutional. As we demonstrate in this statement we issued following the ruling, the court’s decision tramples over a state’s right to protect its own democratic self-governance from foreign interference and veers sharply from Supreme Court precedent. The ruling has no binding impact on jurisdictions outside of Minnesota. I Key Facts II Background III Major Developments and Documents Key Facts Caption Minnesota Chamber of Commerce v. Choi Court U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota Docket No. 23-cv-02015 Status Law temporarily enjoined pending full litigation Plaintiffs Minnesota Chamber of Commerce Defendants Ramsey County County Attorney John Choi and the members of the state Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board Background A provision to prohibit corporate political spending by foreign-influenced corporations in Minnesota elections is included in The Democracy for the People Act (HF3 and SF3), an omnibus democracy bill designed to strengthen voting rights, protect voters and the elections system, and modernize the campaign finance system. Drawing from earlier standalone bills (HF117 and SF288), this provision is meant to close a loophole created by the Supreme Court’s 2010 decision in Citizens United v. FEC. The House version of the bill, HF 3, passed the legislature on April 13, 2023. The Senate version of the bill, SF 3, passed the legislature on April 26, 2023. The Minnesota Governor signed the bill into law on May 5, 2023. These bills build on Free Speech For People’s work developing similar legislation in Seattle, WA (along with partner Fix Democracy First), which passed on January 13, 2020. In June 2023, the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce challenged the law in federal court, naming as defendants Ramsey County Attorney John Choi and the members of the state Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board. The Chamber claims the law infringes upon its members’ constitutionally protected free speech rights, as well as those of the Chamber itself. Free Speech For People, on behalf of Clean Elections Minnesota, on August 25, 2023, filed court papers to intervene in a corporate lobby’s lawsuit seeking to block enforcement of Minnesota’s recently enacted ban on political spending by foreign-influenced corporations. “Foreign investors don’t have a constitutional right to spend in U.S. elections, and neither do the corporations where they hold influential stakes,” says Ron Fein, Legal Director of Free Speech For People. On February 7, 2025, a federal district court judge (a Trump appointee) issued a ruling invalidating this law as unconstitutional. As we demonstrate in this statement we issued following the ruling, the court’s decision tramples over a state’s right to protect its own democratic self-governance from foreign interference and veers sharply from Supreme Court precedent. The ruling has no binding impact on jurisdictions outside of Minnesota. Learn more about the legislation Major Developments and Documents Complaint (June 30, 2023) Answer (July 24, 2023) Brief in Support of Intervention (August 25, 2023) Memorandum in Support of Motion for Preliminary Injunction (October 24, 2023) Memorandum in Opposition to Preliminary Injunction (November 27, 2023) Amicus Brief - Minesota Broadcasters Association and Minnesota Newspaper Association Memorandum of Law (November 20, 2023) Amicus Brief - U.S. Chamber of Commerce (November 20, 2023) Amicus Brief - Clean Elections Minnesota (December 4, 2023) Amicus Brief - Campaign Legal Center (December 5, 2023) Order (December 20, 2023) Chamber’s Motion for Summary Judgment (July 19, 2024) State’s Motion for Summary Judgment (August 9, 2024) Clean Elections Minnesota’s amicus brief in support of state’s motion for summary judgment (August 16, 2024) Campaign Legal Center’s amicus brief in support of state’s motion for summary judgment (August 16, 2024) The US Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Manufacturers’ amicus brief in support of the Chamber’s motion for summary judgment (August 24, 2024) Order (February 7, 2025)