Unanimous Court Ruling For Talk Radio

Even in the liberal bastion of Washington State, the court ruled Thursday that Radio Talk Shows are not subject to the camapign finance laws.

A unanimous state Supreme Court ruled Thursday that two radio talk show hosts who used airtime to support a gas-tax rollback initiative they launched were not required to report their commentary as an in-kind political contribution.

The court also reinstated a countersuit filed by the No New Gas Tax campaign against the local governments that initially sued: San Juan County and the cities of Auburn, Kent and Seattle.

"This is a victory for free speech and a free press in Washington state," said William Maurer, executive director of the Institute for Justice Washington chapter, who argued the case before the high court. "Washingtonians can rest assured that the news and voice and commentary they hear has not been censored or restricted by the government in any way."

The ruling overturns a 2005 ruling by Thurston County Superior Court Judge Chris Wickham that talk show hosts John Carlson and Kirby Wilbur at Seattle radio station KVI were key organizers and promoters of Initiative 912. The ballot measure was aimed at heading off a four-step, 9.5-cent-a-gallon increase in the state gasoline tax.

Sanity prevails. There would be some liberals on the air as well, if they didn't talk to the audience from an alternate reality.

Liberals hate the First Amendment almost as much as the hate the Second. Any thing that exposes their disingenuous agenda for world socialism they oppose. I wonder why that is?

Story here.