A district judge has ruled in favor of Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman and blocked a local law aimed at banning him and all elected officials from volunteering or working in any other campaigns.
The preliminary injunction against the campaign measure is a victory for the First Amendment and freedom of speech, which those on the left aisle of Aurora’s city council seem to think is meant only for them.
“These extreme rules are designed specifically to deny me the fundamental right to publicly support candidates or ballot initiatives,” Coffman said in a statement. “I’m grateful that the court has granted an injunction suspending these rules while our lawsuit to have them declared unconstitutional continues.”
In issuing the preliminary ruling Friday, District Court Judge Peter F. Michaelson rejected the argument that association between candidates gives the appearance of impropriety or actual corruption.
“To make that conclusion would require the Court to accept the dubious premise that incumbents are all corrupt and only self-funded candidates, or those with support from outside the community and without the need to associate with existing elected officials, are pure.”
The judge also agreed that rather than make access to the ballot more equitable, the ordinance passed by liberals on the Aurora City Council made it illegal for candidates to associate with any candidate who had campaign experience and limited their ability to raise money.