See this AP report. If someone has access to Judge Ortero’s 11 page order, please send it along and I will post it.
UPDATE: I have now posted the order at this link. The statutory interpretation question is fascinating, raising issues of expressio unius, the Whole Act Rule, deference to agency interpretation, and legislative history. I had never realized the potential ambiguity 2 U.S.C. s 441f.
It is not clear to me that the Ninth Circuit will agree with Judge Ortero’s order, but it is a solid analysis. If this stands, Congress should act to amend the statute to make clear that conduit contributions are always illegal.