Sherlock ruled in favor of Western Tradition Partnership, a conservative think tank and activist group; Champion Painting, a Bozeman business; and Montana Shooting Sports Association, a Missoula gun rights advocacy group.

"The First Amendment was intended to protect citizens from the government, not to shield politicians from criticism," said Donald Ferguson, Western Tradition Partnership's executive director. "The court has restored fairness and balance to elections by allowing employers to speak freely about the radical environmentalist candidates and issues that threaten your right to earn a living."

Bullock maintained that the historic Montana law should stand, regardless of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling, because of the unique circumstances here that led to its passage. Montana voters adopted the ban to limit the inordinate influence of the copper mining companies and their owners, known as the Copper Kings, over Montana politics more than a century ago.

"This isn't just about our history: Two former secretaries of state and other experts in the field testified that an influx of corporate spending will corrupt the political process and drown out the voices of everyday Montanans," Bullock said. "The facts in this case are markedly different from those considered by the U.S. Supreme Court."

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