The Ohio Elections Commission has appealed a federal judge's ruling that struck down a state law barring people from knowingly or recklessly making false statements about candidates.
U.S. District Court Judge Timothy Black last month called Ohio's law unconstitutional and prohibited the Ohio Elections Commission and its members from enforcing the law. The Susan B. Anthony List, an anti-abortion group, has contended the Ohio statute violates free speech rights and chills a wide variety of political speech. The U.S. Supreme Court in June ruled the group should be able to challenge the law. Today's appeal involves a case that grew out of the group's plans in a 2010 congressional race to link a Democratic candidate's support of the Affordable Care Act to support for abortion, which he opposed.
