Ronnie Earle, the Hardest Workin’ Man in Texas Politics, scored a victory today when State District Judge Mike Lynch ruled that the Texas Association of Business must answer questions before a grand jury about its advertising campaign from the 2002 election.
[Judge Lynch] said the group does not have to release the names of its corporate members or donors unless prosecutors show that the names are relevant to the criminal investigation. But the judge said the group will have to provide details about the advertising campaign, including the amount and date of the corporate donations and the type of businesses financing the effort.
“The fact that a question inadvertently reveals a donor or member does not render it objectionable as long as the question is otherwise within the scope of this order,” Lynch wrote.
So if my layman’s reading of this is correct, the DA can ask questions about the group’s members, just not who they are, and if someone in attendance puts two and two together and figures out a name, that’s the way it goes for TAB. I guess that’s a reasonable middle ground. Any lawyers out there want to expand on this?
Thanks again to Alfredo Garcia for the tip.