New Hawaii law targets corporate influence in politics after Citizens United ruling
HONOLULU– Hawaii’s Democratic governor signed into law a bill Thursday that uses a novel approach to curb the influence of hard-to-track corporations and “dark money” groups, which have been able to spend unlimited amounts of money on politics since a 2010 U.S. Supreme Court ruling.
The law, which takes effect July 1, 2027, redefines corporations to exclude election expenses. A group of volunteers in Montana is gathering signatures in hopes of putting a similar issue before voters in November.
The High Court’s decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission reversed ban on election spending by corporations and unions provided they do not make direct donations to campaigns. The case stems from Citizens United, a conservative group, wanting to air television ads promoting its anti-Hillary Clinton film when she was running for president in 2008.
This decision benefited both Democrats and Republicans. Campaign finance watchdog group OpenSecrets has tracked more than $4 billion in outside political spending in the 2024 federal election, nearly 12 times more than in 2008.
Some of that came from dark money groups that are not required to disclose their donors, and the Brennan Center for Justice counted a record $1.9 billion in such spending in 2024. Dark money also played a role in some state-level races.
The office of Hawaii Attorney General Anne Lopez, a Democrat, opposed Hawaii’s measure, arguing in part that it will be difficult and costly to defend in court.
“Hawaii is taking a courageous and bold step to eliminate corporate and dark money from American politics,” said Tom Moore, a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, which developed the legal strategy behind the law. “This will send a powerful message that will be heard loud and clear across the Pacific and the continent. »
