A Washington judge ruled the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) violated state campaign finance disclosure laws by shielding the identities of major corporate donors that contributed $11 million toward defeating a 2013 ballot initiative that sought to require labeling on foods containing genetically modified organisms.
In her decision released publically last week, Thurston County Superior Court Judge Anne Hirsch says GMA violated the spirit and letter of Washington’s Public Campaign Finance Laws by creating its “Defense of Brands” account.