Colorado's Amendment 54 Challenged

(MoneyWatch)  We had written in the past about Amendment 54 in Colorado which barely passed on election day. This amendment banned political contributions from those receiving contracts from the state. There had been concern that the wording was over broad -- preventing unions who sign contracts with the state from participating in the political process -- now two state lawsuits have been filed. The Colorado Independent reports that non-profits filed one suit and The Denver Post says the other was by unions representing teachers and firefighters. Both lawsuits rely on the 1st and 14th Amendments to the U.S. Constitution. The conventional wisdom is that the law would not stand as the Federal Courts, especially, have been favorable to these kinds of cases.