Del Papa backs flier disclosure

Wednesday, May 31, 2000 | 10:37 a.m.

SUN CAPITAL BUREAU

CARSON CITY -- Attorney General Frankie Sue Del Papa Tuesday said Nevada's 1989 law requiring disclosure of persons who finance political campaign fliers is constitutional.

She filed a reply in federal court in Las Vegas to the suit by the Nevada ACLU, which contends the law is a violation of the constitutional right of free speech.

"This issue needs to be resolved before elections get under way," Del Papa said. "This is not about content, but rather that the people of Nevada have a right to know who is publishing campaign material."

The filing of the reply brief should pave the way for a court decision soon, she said.

The issue arose this year when Clark County Commissioner Lance Malone complained about anonymous campaign material being circulated against him after he changed his position to favor zoning for a casino in a residential neighborhood in southwest Las Vegas.

Secretary of State Dean Heller is investigating the incident to see whether disciplinary action should be brought against those who acknowledged they were behind the anti-Malone campaign flier.

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