Southeastern Legal Foundation (SLF) joined 140 other organizations in an amicus brief urging the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals to protect donor privacy in Buckeye Institute v. IRS. At a time when Buckeye was a leading voice opposing Obama’s Medicaid expansion plans, the IRS selected the organization for an audit and required Buckeye to release the names and addresses of certain donors. Fearing retaliation if their names were revealed, many donors stopped giving altogether.

SLF and amici explain in their brief that the IRS’s actions created a chilling effect in violation of donors’ and Buckeye’s freedom of speech and association. Every citizen has the right to associate with the beliefs and ideas they want to support, and they have the right to do so anonymously.  By threatening to reveal information about donors, the IRS is scaring them into silence, deterring them from supporting Buckeye and other causes they support, and violating their First Amendment rights.

If the government is allowed to continue its actions, it will have a negative impact on anyone wanting to contribute to causes important to them. SLF is urging the Sixth Circuit to intervene and end the censorship.