The fight over who gets to see the names behind nonprofit donations has reached the nation’s highest court. On April 30, 2026, the Liberty Justice Center officially filed a petition asking the U.S. Supreme Court to step into Rio Grande Foundation v. Oliver, a legal battle that could redefine the boundaries of donor privacy in America.
The case centers on a controversial New Mexico law that forces nonpartisan organizations to go public with their donor lists.
Under current rules, if a nonprofit even mentions a political candidate or a public issue near an election, they are required to hand over supporter information to the government for public disclosure.
The Rio Grande Foundation, the group at the heart of the suit, argues that this requirement is an overreach. As a nonpartisan nonprofit, the foundation is legally barred from spending money to support or oppose specific candidates.
However, New Mexico’s law triggers disclosure even for “issue advocacy”—meaning a group could be forced to out its donors simply for discussing a policy that a candidate also happens to be talking about.
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Attorneys for the Liberty Justice Center argue that this “sweeps” private citizens into a public reporting system, effectively chilling free speech.
“Americans must be allowed to support causes they believe in without fear of harassment, retaliation, or public exposure,” said Jeffrey M. Schwab, Senior Counsel and Director of Litigation at the Liberty Justice Center. “The government does not have an informational interest in knowing donors to every organization that happens to mention a candidate for office when that speech is not about supporting or opposing the election of that candidate.”
The road to the Supreme Court has been a long one. The case was first filed back in December 2019. In March 2024, a U.S. District Court in New Mexico sided with the state, upholding the disclosure rules. The Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals later backed that decision and refused to rehear the case, leaving the Supreme Court as the final option for the foundation.
New Mexico has maintained that these laws provide necessary transparency for voters. But the Liberty Justice Center contends that without “quid pro quo” corruption risks—which typically apply to direct campaign contributions—the government has no business keeping tabs on who funds groups that advocate for ideas.
The Supreme Court must now decide whether to take up the case. If they do, the ruling could set a major precedent for how much privacy donors can expect when supporting organizations that weigh in on the public issues of the day.
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