On June 9, the US Court of Appeals, 1st circuit (Boston) will hear Laffey v Begin, 05-1750. The issue is whether state and federal campaign laws can be used to force a public official to give up his talk radio show. The Rhode Island Board of Elections ordered Stephen Laffey to stop being a radio talk show host, on the grounds that he is Mayor of Cranston and a potential (but undeclared) candidate for U.S. Senate next year. The Board claims that since the radio station doesn’t charge him for being a talk show host, the station is making an in-kind campaign contribution to him. On May 18, the US District Court had refused to issue a temporary injunction that would have kept the Mayor’s show on the air. The Mayor is a conservative Republican.