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Thursday, April 30, 2009
Pa. High Court strikes down ban on political giving by gaming industry

 

HARRISBURG —The state Supreme Court today ruled that an outright ban on political contribution by gaming interests was unconstitutional and struck down that key provision of Pennsylvania’s 2004 law legalizing slot machines.


The high court found in a case involving a Philadelphia developer that such a ban “clearly, palpably, and plainly” violated free-speech provisions.


The ban restricts “a constitutionally protected form of expression that is no less legitimate or important than other forms of expression,” Chief Justice Ronald Castille wrote on behalf of the court.


The legislature imposed the ban as a firewall against corruption creeping into the fledgling multi-billion dollar gaming industry in the state by preventing wealthy gaming interests from trying to influence politicians.


Considered the nation’s broadest such restrictions, it outlawed all political contributions from a long list of people involved in gaming in the state, from casino license applicants to slot machine makers and suppliers.


But developer Peter DePaul, a part owner of the Foxwoods Casino planned for Philadelphia successfully challenged the restriction, arguing it unfairly singled out one business sector.
 

 

Click here for Philly.com's politics page.

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About Commonwealth Confidential
Commonwealth Confidential gives you regularly updated coverage of the state legislature, the governor and the workings of the state bureaucracy. It is also the place to turn for news of this year's races for governor and U.S. Senate. It is written by correspondents in the Inquirer's Harrisburg bureau, based right in the statehouse, and by the newspaper's far-flung campaign reporters.

Mario F. Cattabiani (left) has covered state government and politics from Harrisburg since 1994, the last six years for the Inquirer. In July, he was ranked by PolitickerPa.com as No. 1 among the "Most Powerful Political Reporters" in Pennsylvania.

Angela Couloumbis (center) joined The Philadelphia Inquirer in 1998, and has covered government and politics in New Jersey, Philadelphia and throughout Pennsylvania, including Gov. Rendell’s 2006 race against former Pittsburgh Steeler Lynn Swann.

Amy Worden (right) joined the Inquirer in 2000 and has covered governors, gubernatorial races, U.S. Senate races and three presidential campaigns. When not covering politics she can be found filing dispatches from disaster scenes or digging into local stories of national import.

Thomas FitzgeraldThomas Fitzgerald joined The Philadelphia Inquirer in 2000, and has covered Harrisburg as well as city, state and national politics for the newspaper. He was a “boy on the bus” in the 2004 presidential campaign and during primary contests in 2000 and 1996.

Tom Infield Tom Infield, a long-time reporter and editor at The Inquirer, has covered politics from many corners of Pennsylvania. He grew up in Pittsburgh, previously worked in Mercer and Lancaster counties, and has lived in both Philadelphia and its suburbs. He has closely followed campaigns for governor and U.S. Senate, as well as Philadelphia mayoral races.

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