Arizona to respond Monday in campaign funding case

Arizona officials face a Monday morning deadline to file a response to a request asking the U.S. Supreme Court payment to block the state’s payment of extra campaign money to some publicly funded candidates.

Opponents of so-called matching funds argue that matching funds crimp privately funded candidates’ free-speech rights by inhibiting those candidates and their contributors.

Publicly funded candidates get matching funds when they’re outspent by privately funded rivals or targeted by independent groups’ spending.

A trial judge ruled matching funds unconstitutional. An appeals court ruled that matching funds have pose hardly any burden on privately funded candidates and help reduce contributions-for-favors corruption by elected officials.