A federal judge in Los Angeles has again shut down California Attorney General Kamala Harris’ drive to obtain the donor list for Americans for Prosperity, an influential political group funded by Charles and David Koch.
U.S. District Court Judge Manuel Real issued a permanent injunction Thursday barring Harris’ office from requiring AFP to submit the donor list. And AFP may not be considered deficient or delinquent in its filings because it won’t turn over the form, the judge said.
In his ruling, Real said the California attorney general’s claims that she needed the information for investigative purposes were dubious since officials “virtually never” looked at donor information when investigating nonprofit groups. The judge also said the Kochs and other donors faced a real threat of harm because of nearly 1,800 instances where the state inadvertently disclosed donor lists, also known as “Schedule B” filings, on a public website designed to host other registration forms filed by charities and other nonprofit organizations.
Not only will the state appeal, I think the state will have a good shot especially given the reputation of the trial judge generally and in this case.