King Street Patriots VS Texas Democratic Party

King Street Patriots, a group of concerned citizens in Houston, filed a counter lawsuit today against the Texas Democratic Party and at the same time are asking a judge to rule certain portions of the Texas Election Code governing political speech as unconstitutional. The non-profit King Street Patriots made up of citizen volunteers dedicated to election integrity, are subjects of a lawsuit by the Texas Democratic Party that falsely claims the group broke state prohibitions against corporate campaign contributions and that it should have to register as a political organization and even reveal donor records. King Street Patriots, in an effort to protect their constitutional freedoms, is asking the judge to dismiss the lawsuit, force the Texas Democratic Party to pay attorneys fees and rule that sections of the Texas Election Code run afoul of the United States Constitution. “The Texas Democratic Party is using state law to try to silence citizens political free speech even though the U.S. Supreme Court vigorously applies First Amendment protections in this area,” said KSP lead constitutional counsel James Bopp Jr, of the James Madison Center for Free Speech and architect of the U.S. Supreme Court Citizens United campaign finance case. “Nonprofit 501(c)(4) organizations are allowed to engage in the political process without disclosing their donors or registering as a political committee, and Texas laws to the contrary are unconstitutional.” Although King Street Patriots is non-partisan, the group dedicated to keeping elections fair and free drew the ire of the Texas Democratic Party earlier this year after turning over to authorities questionable voter registrations in Harris County and training hundreds of volunteers as poll watchers there. “It is outrageous that a group of American citizens who simply volunteered to get involved in the political process are forced into court by the Texas Democratic Party,” said Kelly Shackelford, president and chief counsel of Liberty Institute, also representing KSP. “Using a political party to sue and attack citizens, and to try to reduce the Constitutional rights of all Americans, is a disgrace.” Liberty Institute is a nonprofit legal organization dedicated to protecting First Amendment rights and the Constitution. The James Madison Center for Free Speech protects the First Amendment right of all citizens to free political expression.