Charity Kenyon '77 Argues Before CA Supreme Court

Charity Kenyon '77, a private attorney representing the Fair Political Practices Commission, argued before the California Supreme Court in a landmark case that challenges constitutional protections for the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians for failing to report $7.5 million in campaign contributions until long after deadlines. The San Diego Union-Tribune reported that the dispute stems from a 2002 lawsuit that the state Fair Political Practices Commission filed against the tribe. Kenyon told justices that if the state's argument fails, tribes could launder campaign donations from people trying to secretly influence elections. Justice Joyce Kennard challenged Kenyon, saying that while she instinctively agreed with the state, she did not see how the seven justices could overcome numerous U.S Supreme Court rulings that protect tribes from lawsuits. The newspaper reported that many expect the legal clash to wind up before the U.S. Supreme Court, and the outcome could have profound, long-term implications for a state in which gaming tribes have become a political force. 

October 5, 2006/The San Diego Union-Tribune
http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20061005/news_1n5tribes.html