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Americans for Prosperity v. Bonta

No. 19-251 SCOTUS · Decided Decided SCOTUS
Cert Granted: Jan 8, 2021 Argued: Apr 26, 2021 Decided: Jul 1, 2021

Case Overview

California required charities soliciting donations in the state to disclose their major donors to the state attorney general. The Supreme Court held 6-3 that the disclosure requirement was facially unconstitutional under the First Amendment because it was not narrowly tailored to the state's interest in investigating charitable fraud.


The Facts

The Americans for Prosperity Foundation, a charitable organization, challenged California's requirement that charities disclose the identity of their major donors to the state attorney general as a condition of soliciting charitable contributions in California. The Foundation argued the disclosure requirement chilled donors who feared public exposure and potential harassment.

The Application

History

California's blanket disclosure requirement failed the narrowly-tailored test because the state could advance its fraud investigation interest through less restrictive means such as targeted disclosure upon specific investigation or complaint without requiring all charities to submit major donor lists upfront as a condition of solicitation. The Court found that the blanket requirement imposed an unnecessary burden on donors' freedom of association, chilling contributions even for donors of organizations never suspected of fraud. Although California had a legitimate interest in investigating charitable wrongdoing, the requirement's breadth and lack of meaningful limitation made it substantially broader than necessary to achieve that interest. The decision thus established that compelled disclosure regimes must be calibrated to actual investigative needs rather than applied uniformly across all solicitors.

The Conclusion

**Americans for Prosperity v. Bonta reinforced First Amendment protection for donor anonymity and freedom of association, making it more difficult for states to require broad upfront disclosure of donor identities.** The ruling has implications for donor disclosure requirements across a range of contexts, including campaign finance and advocacy organizations, and has been cited in subsequent challenges to mandatory disclosure regimes.

CourtSupreme Court of the United States
Filed -
Judge -
CL StatusActive
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Cert GrantedJan 8, 2021
StatusActive
Filed (CL) -
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SCOTUS TMR-b8b0b79b Jul 13, 2026
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