NOM, the National Organization For Marriage, has again lost its bid to shield its donor list.
For years NOM, the National Organization For Marriage, has been desperately attempting to hide its donor list from the State of Maine, in violation of Maine’s laws. Today, the Maine Supreme Court again ruled NOM must hand over its donors list:
After reviewing the motion record and carefully weighing the four criteria, we conclude that, because there clearly is no substantial possibility that NOM will succeed on the merits of its claims, a stay is not warranted under applicable principles of law and equity. The circumstances underlying the Commission’s decision occurred almost six years ago, and the decision has successfully withstood federal and state court challenges during that time. NOM now asks us to decide many of the same issues and has failed to sufficiently show that it has a likelihood of succeeding on the merits. Accordingly, we deny NOM’s motion for a stay pending appeal.Â
In 2012, Mainers United For Marriage accused NOM of having “laundered a quarter of a million dollars†into the Maine 2009 marriage campaign, in continued violation of Maine’s state ethics laws.Â
“In 2009, NOM raised and spent $1.9 million to deny same-sex couples the freedom to marry,†Matt McTighe, campaign manager for Mainers United for Marriage, said via a statement. “This year, the organization has already laundered a quarter of a million dollars into the anti-marriage campaign – with more to come – and once again it refuses to disclose where the money comes from. Our campaign is proud of the nearly 14,000 donors who have contributed to the campaign to win the freedom to marry in Maine. NOM continues to hide in the shadows.â€
NOM even tried to get the U.S. Supreme Court to hear their case, but the Court refused.
In 2013, the Maine Supreme Court ruled that NOM must hand over its donors list.
In 2014, still having not complied, NOM lost again, this time with the State of Maine Ethics Committee not only ruling unanimously, but imposing a record fine.
And now, today, once again, the Maine Supreme Court has ruled against NOM, essentially demanding the anti-gay marriage group hand over their donors list.
Clearly, NOM is fighting tooth and nail because it’s afraid of whom the list will reveal.Â
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Image: Screenshot via UStream/NOM