From the Wall Street Journal

Lobbyists Sue
Over Disclosure
In Ethics Law
By BRODY MULLINS
February 7, 2008
WASHINGTON -- A large industry-lobbying group filed a lawsuit
yesterday to overturn a central provision in an ethics law enacted by
Congress last year.
The ethics law, called the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act
of 2007, sought to loosen the ties between lobbyists and lawmakers
while shining more light on how lobbyists ply their trade. One
provision took aim at large lobbying coalitions by requiring the
publication of all entities that contribute more than $5,000 a
quarter.
The National Association of Manufacturers says the provision would
require traditional trade associations to disclose names of their
members for the first time. The lawsuit says trade groups have a First
Amendment right not to make public the names of their member
companies. The suit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the
District of Columbia against the U.S. Attorney for the District of
Columbia, the Secretary of the Senate and the clerk of the House of
Representatives.
John Engler, the president of the manufacturers' trade group and
former Michigan governor, said the law is a "potentially lethal
threat" because it would discourage joining the lobbying coalitions.
Jim Manley, a spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D.,
Nev.), defended the law, saying it "mandates appropriate public
disclosure."