CINCINNATI (Legal Newsline) - Labor unions are enjoying special privileges in the political donation system, the Ohio Chamber of Commerce alleges in a new federal lawsuit.
The Ohio Chamber of Commerce and its political action committee, Ohio Chamber of Commerce PAC, filed a lawsuit June 14 in federal court against several Ohio state officials like Attorney General Dave Yost and the Ohio Elections Commission.
The plaintiffs seek declaratory and injunctive relief from an Ohio law that prohibits corporations from making political contributions while allowing labor unions to do so. They argue that this law violates their First Amendment rights and the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment by creating an unjustifiable disparity between labor unions and corporations.
The lawsuit aims to declare the prohibition unconstitutional and to prevent its enforcement.
Patrick Lewis and others at Baker & Hostetler represent the plaintiffs.