The Socialist Workers Party has had an exemption from reporting its campaign contributors, and its campaign expenditures, ever since 1979. But, whenever the Federal Election Commission grants the party this exemption, it always provides that the exemption will expire at a specified point in the future. The current exemption expires December 31, 2008. On October 30, the party asked that its exemption be extended. The Militant of November 17, 2008, has this article, explaining the basis for the request.

In 1982, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously agreed that the party deserved an exemption from disclosure of contributors, although on the matter of expenditures, the vote was 5-4 in the party’s favor. The case is Brown v Socialist Workers ’74 Campaign Committee, 459 US 87. That case arose in Ohio, where the issue was whether the party should have an exemption from disclosing information on contributors and expenditures for its candidates for state office.