A federal judge granted an Overland Park nonprofit organization’s request for a temporary restraining order blocking the Kansas Governmental Ethics Commission from enforcing a campaign finance law until a trial on the constitutionality of the state’s definition of a political action committee. U.S. District Court Judge Daniel Crabtree issued the order Wednesday on behalf of Fresh Vision OP, which ran afoul of the state commission in 2021 after sending a mailer endorsing the candidacy of Faris Farassati, a then-Overland Park City Council member campaigning for mayor. Fresh Vision OP posted comparable information on its website. The organization also opposed the use of “tax give aways,” incentives for economic development and tolling on U.S. 69. Fresh Vision OP’s attorneys, including lawyers with the Institute for Free Speech, filed a lawsuit challenging the state’s definition of a PAC. The plaintiff’s attorneys argued the law could be interpreted to include groups such as Fresh Vision OP that were organized primarily for a neighborhood’s benefit, but also periodically endorsed candidates. The lawsuit was designed to protect the free speech rights of Fresh Vision OP and organizations like it, plaintiffs said. Crabtree’s temporary restraining order would allow Fresh Vision OP to resume community advocacy activities without being regulated as a PAC.
Source: Prairie Village Post
