“Pillar of Law Files Lawsuit for Convention Delegates’ Rights to Free Speech”

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The Pillar of Law Institute filed a lawsuit in Wyoming federal court today, challenging a law that prohibits delegates to political party conventions from accepting books, travel stipends, and legal assistance from non-profits.

“For the upcoming Republican Convention, delegates could receive unlimited money from individual donors, but could not accept even books or a travel stipend from organizations like Pillar,” said Benjamin Barr, lead counsel in the case. “Federal election law actually bans the distribution of books to delegates because it deems them corrupting.  This is not just fundamentally unfair; it is also unconstitutional.”

The Pillar of Law Institute is a non-profit public interest law firm that focuses on free speech and campaign finance law. It would like to provide books to convention delegates that discuss delegates’ rights and free speech, but is prohibited from giving “anything of value” by the corporate ban. Pillar is joined in the lawsuit by two unnamed Republican delegates who would like to speak out about delegate autonomy at the convention and receive assistance against any legal threats that they might face.

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