This Kentucky State Senator Is Suing Because He Can't Get Gifts from Lobbyists

An elected official in Kentucky has filed a lawsuit against local campaign finance authorities, arguing that ethic laws that prevent him from receiving gifts violate his constitutional rights. The effort is headed up by Republican State Senator John Schickel, along with two Libertarian candidates for office.

Christopher Wiest, the attorney for the plaintiffs, told the Lexington Herald-Leader that the rules that prevent candidates for office from receiving campaign donations of more than $1,000, and from receiving gifts from lobbyists are "ridiculous."

"If you're a legislator and a lobbyist is your next-door neighbor, and he invites you over to his place for a Christmas party, you can't accept, because it might be considered a form of entertainment or a thing of value," Weist said, explaining the rationale behind the suit.

In theory, Schickel could attempt to get Kentucky's State Legislature, of which he's a member, on board with changing these ethics rules. However, Wiest told the Herald-Leader that Schickel "thinks he could get a bill through the Senate, but if it can't get through the House, why spend time spinning his wheels on it?" Instead, he's hoping to hammer it out in the courts.

Similarly, Citizens United vs. FEC was a lawsuit that began in a Washington DC district court before it became the famous Supreme Court case that overturned federal laws limiting campaign spending by nonprofit groups on the basis that such spending is free speech, and thus, protected by the First Amendment.

According to Schickel's court filing, free speech is also the basis for this lawsuit. "Senator Schickel, a retired law enforcement officer, who has a long and distinguished history of protecting Kentuckians, seeks to continue fulfilling his oath of office, upholding and protecting the US Constitution, and vindicating the First Amendment rights of himself and millions of other Kentuckians," the filing reads.

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