MILWAUKEE - A federal appeals court on Wednesday declared major portions of Wisconsin's campaign finance law unconstitutional in a decision that experts said would have little immediate effect but would make it clear that the rules must be rewritten. The decision came in a lawsuit filed by Wisconsin Right to Life, an anti-abortion group that objected to rules governing so-called issue advocacy, in which groups express political opinions but don't advocate for or against specific candidates. The lawsuit, however, also challenged a host of other rules governing how outside groups spend during elections.
Court: Wis. campaign finance laws went too far