State Supreme Court Rules Some Attack Ads Legal

The Colorado Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that some political attack ads in state races are not subject to contribution limits if they don’t urge voters to elect or defeat a particular candidate.

The ruling will have little effect on this year’s elections because Colorado lawmakers changed the rules to comply with recent U.S. Supreme Court rulings that allow that kind of advertising.

The court on Tuesday upheld an appeals court ruling against Colorado Ethics Watch, a political watchdog group, which filed a lawsuit against conservative groups that it believes sent improper campaign mailers in several state races in 2008.

The high court ruled that neither the Senate Majority Fund nor the Colorado Leadership fund were subject to regulation as political committees.