Federal judge dismisses lawsuit over Austin's campaign finance rule
A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit filed against the City of Austin over its campaign finance rule that caps how much a candidate can raise from outside city limits on Friday.
City rules say a candidate cannot raise more than $47,000 outside of Austin city limits during an election. A city spokesperson told KUT the contribution limit was part of a voter-led initiative in the late-1990s to maintain the integrity of local council elections.
Austin mayoral candidate Doug Greco filed a lawsuit in September naming the city, City Manager T.C. Broadnax and Deborah Thomas, Austin's interim city attorney. He and his campaign allege that the rule is unconstitutional.
Greco said he feels the current rule silences people outside of Austin who want to support a campaign, and therefore violates their first amendment rights.
https://www.kut.org/politics/2024-10-15/federal-judge-dismisses-lawsuit-over-austins-campaign-finance-rule