NOM Loses Federal Appeal, Ordered To Turn Finances Over To Maine

A federal appeals court in Boston has denied NOM's latest attempt to continue shielding their list of donors from Maine as is required by state election finance law. But it's not over yet.

The group, known by its initials "NOM" contributed nearly $2 million to last year's successful campaign to overturn Maine's gay marriage law. Opponents say NOM has failed to comply with the state's financial disclosure law, a claim that is nowunder investigation by the state Ethics Commission. NOM, meanwhile, has filed its own constitutional challenge of the state law, and Kate Simmons of the Maine Attorney Generals' office says Monday's ruling will help the state defend itself. "NOM must reveal to the state how they raised the money, for what purpose and who it came from," she says. "They were the largest single contributor to Stand for Marriage Maine, and as a part of Maine's campaign finance laws, the state is working to find out how they raised that money and for what purpose." The court has ordered that any information handed over by NOM would have to remain confidential.

Yesterday NOM president Brian Brown vowed to take the fight all the way to the Supreme Court. Why does NOM hate America and democracy?