Washington Supreme Court hears arguments in Meta disclosure law case

OLYMPIA, Wash. – The Washington State Supreme Court heard arguments about the constitutionality of the state’s campaign disclosure law in a case involving Meta Platforms, Inc., formerly Facebook, Inc. The central question is whether Washington’s law violates the First Amendment by imposing burdensome disclosure requirements on digital platforms.

Robert McKenna, representing Meta, argued that the law’s compliance requirements are onerous, leading major platforms like Facebook and Google to ban political ads in Washington. He emphasized, “The compliance costs are also high, because the definition of an electioneering communication under our statute is quite broad,” said McKenna.He noted that the platforms must decide which ads fit this definition, unlike other states where political actors