Kentucky to appeal ruling striking down parts of ethics law [View all]

A Kentucky ethics commission says it will appeal a federal judge’s order allowing lobbyists to donate to political campaigns.

The Lexington Herald Leader reports the Kentucky Legislative Ethics Commission voted unanimously on Wednesday to appeal the lawsuit. Commission chairman George Troutman told the newspaper the issue was “too important not to appeal.”

Earlier this month, U.S. District Judge William Bertelsman struck down most of Kentucky’s ethics law regulating contact between lawmakers and lobbyists. Bertelsman said the state’s ban on lobbyists giving gifts to lawmakers and making political donations violated their First Amendment rights.

The ethics laws were put in place in the mid-1990s after 22 lobbyists and lawmakers were charged with giving and taking bribes.

Read more: http://www.state-journal.com/2017/06/21/kentucky-to-appeal-ruling-striking-down-parts-of-ethics-law/