Shady Arizona political group invokes Citizens United

Attorneys for the organization that spent $11 million this month to oppose Proposition 30 and support Proposition 32 say that the donors do not have to be identified. California's Fair Political Practices Commission brought suit against an Arizona-based nonprofit called Americans for Responsible Leadership, asking that the information be released. A hearing in Superior Court is scheduled for Wednesday. FPPC says it's responding to a complaint from California Common Cause. From the Sacramento Bee:

In a 14-page brief filed with Sacramento Superior Court, the group's attorneys said the U.S. Supreme Court's "Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission" ruling is one decision that shows "the indisputable notion that non-profit corporations have constitutional rights." ARL attorneys said the FPPC lacks authority to conduct an audit until after an election and did not consult its commissioners before asking for data. They asserted the FPPC has never demanded the same information from at least eight other nonprofits, ranging from the American Cancer Society, which gave $7.3 million mostly toward a tobacco tax initiative this year, to the Nature Conservancy, which donated $2.8 million as it sought to impose a fee to benefit state parks in 2010.

Earlier: Why is Gov. Brown's tax measure losing ground?