No. 21-951

Rio Grande Foundation v. City of Santa Fe, New Mexico, et al.

Lower Court: Tenth Circuit
Docketed: 2021-12-29
Status: Denied
Type: Paid
Experienced Counsel
Tags: ballot-initiative chilling-effect civil-rights constitutional-challenge donor-disclosure first-amendment free-speech nonprofit-disclosure speech-rights standing standing-doctrine
Key Terms:
FirstAmendment Privacy JusticiabilityDoctri
Latest Conference: 2022-04-14
Question Presented (AI Summary)

Did the Tenth Circuit err?

Question Presented (OCR Extract)

QUESTION PRESENTED This Court has held that a plaintiff may challenge the constitutionality of a burden on speech by alleging that it objectively deters people from exercising their speech rights—i.e., a “chilling effect.” Rio Grande Foundation (RGF) challenged the constitutionality of a Santa Fe ordinance that forces nonprofits to reveal their donors’ private information whenever the nonprofit spends more than $250 supporting or opposing a ballot initiative. RGF alleged that this mandate would chill speech by a person of ordinary firmness. The Tenth Circuit, however, held that “an element of a chilled speech injury is an actual intention not to speak,” and because RGF expects to support or oppose ballot initiatives in the future, it lacks standing to bring its chill claim, regardless of whether the ordinance would chill speech by a person of ordinary firmness. Did the Tenth Circuit err?

Docket Entries

2022-04-18
Petition DENIED.
2022-03-23
DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 4/14/2022.
2022-03-22
Reply of petitioner Rio Grande Foundation filed. (Distributed)
2022-03-03
Brief of respondents Santa Fe, New Mexico, et al. in opposition filed.
2022-01-19
Motion to extend the time to file a response is granted and the time is extended to and including March 4, 2022.
2022-01-18
Motion to extend the time to file a response from January 28, 2022 to March 4, 2022, submitted to The Clerk.
2021-12-22
Petition for a writ of certiorari filed. (Response due January 28, 2022)

Attorneys

Rio Grande Foundation
Timothy Mason SandefurGoldwater Institute, Petitioner
Timothy Mason SandefurGoldwater Institute, Petitioner
Santa Fe, New Mexico, et al.
Marcos Domenico MartinezCity of Santa Fe, City Attorney's Office, Respondent
Marcos Domenico MartinezCity of Santa Fe, City Attorney's Office, Respondent