If Congress won't protect free speech, President Bush must!

March 20, 2002

ATLANTA/WASHINGTON, DC: The Southeastern Legal Foundation, along with former Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr, today called on President Bush to veto Shays-Meehan because many of the bill's provisions "are a dagger poised at the heart of the First Amendment."

"If Congress will not protect the U.S. Constitution, President Bush is oath-bound to do just that," said Phil Kent, SLF President. "Free speech gag rules in Shays-Meehan violate the most protected of all free speech rights -- the right to free expression of political ideas."

SLF attorneys, along with Judge Starr, are preparing a constitutional legal challenge against Shays-Meehan if Bush signs the bill into law. The President has 10 days to sign the bill, which will arrive on his desk when the U.S. Senate transmits it to the White House.

"Groups, private citizens, and elected officials across the ideological spectrum share the common concern that Shays-Meehan will fundamentally alter the nature of public discourse and political life in the U.S.," said Kent. "President Bush has expressed deep concerns about many of the free speech provisions in Shays-Meehan, and we hope that he will make the right decision in favor of the First Amendment."

SLF has long maintained that certain provisions of Shays-Meehan, including the ban on issue advocacy advertising 60 days from a general election and 30 days from a primary, as well as prohibitions on so-called "coordination" of contact between advocacy groups, individuals, and candidates for office, is a facial violation of First Amendment free speech protections. The Shays-Meehan bill provides for expedited federal court review before a three-judge panel, followed by direct appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.

In the event that President Bush signs the bill into law, SLF and Ken Starr, along with a list of fellow plaintiffs, will hold a special press briefing in Washington, DC to announce a lawsuit.

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