On February 23, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear Clayton v Niska, 14-443. The plaintiff had challenged a Minnesota law that says, “A candidate may not knowingly make a false claim stating or implying that a candidate or ballot question has the support or endorsement of a major political party or party unit or of an organization.” A Minnesota State Appeals Court had upheld the law, and the Minnesota Supreme Court had refused to hear an appeal.

The plaintiff, Bonn Clayton, had been fined $500 because his website implied that the Minnesota Republican PArty had endorsed a particular candidate for judge, when actually the party had decided not to make any endorsements. Here is a copy of Clayton’s cert petition, giving his side of the dispute.