Judge sides with Russell Simmons and Ben Chavis over lobbying fines
Thursday, August 19, 2004 at 06:49AM
TheSpook
In a victory for hip-hop entrepreneur Russell
Simmons, a judge declared part of New York's lobbying law
unconstitutional yesterday, ruling that regulators do not give those
facing possible penalties the right to be heard. The state's lobbying
commission was investigating Simmons and Benjamin Chavis, the former
head of the NAACP, for their roles in a June 4, 2003, rally against
New York's harsh drug laws. The commission contended that the event was
lobbying and that the two had to disclose how much was spent. Simmons,
founder of Def Jam Recordings and head of the Hip-Hop Summit Action
Network, and Chavis have said the rally was simply the exercise of free
speech. [more ]
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