The 8th Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld the ruling of a federal judge who declined to strike down Minnesota's corporate campaign law.

A case against the law had been brought by Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life (MCCL), the Taxpayers League of Minnesota and Coastal Travel Enterprises, which claimed the law interfered with free speech by limiting corporate support for candidates and causes.

Last year, Federal Judge Donovan Frank declined to strike down the law, saying voters have "an interest in knowing who is speaking about a candidate on the eve of an election."

Today the appeals court ruling notes that opponents of the law do "not meaningfully argue, and the record before the district court does not show, that Minnesota's ban on direct corporate contributions is interfering with the ability of candidates to mount effective campaigns."

Said the court:

"Minnesota did not ban corporate independent expenditures. Instead, based upon the lower court's findings, as strongly supported by the record, we find that Minnesota created a statutory scheme designed to require corporations to disclose certain information when making independent expenditures."