$35M campaign finance fine against Meta upheld by WA Supreme Court

June 18, 2026 - 22:58

The Washington State Supreme Court has ruled that Meta, the parent company of Facebook, must pay a $35 million fine for violating the state's campaign finance laws. The decision, handed down Thursday in a split ruling, marks the largest campaign finance penalty ever imposed in the state's history.

The case stems from allegations that Facebook failed to properly disclose the identities of entities that purchased political ads during a 2013 election for a state Senate seat. State law requires advertisers to maintain and share detailed records about who is funding political messages. Prosecutors argued that Meta repeatedly refused to comply with these transparency rules, despite multiple warnings from the state's Public Disclosure Commission.

In a 5-4 decision, the court's majority rejected Meta's argument that the state's disclosure requirements were overly burdensome and violated the company's First Amendment rights. The justices wrote that the law serves a compelling public interest in preventing anonymous campaign spending and ensuring voters know who is trying to influence their decisions.

Meta had urged the court to declare the fine unconstitutional, arguing that the company had already taken steps to improve ad transparency nationwide. The company's legal team contended that Washington's law was too vague and that the penalty was excessive for what they described as administrative record-keeping failures.

Dissenting justices argued that the fine was disproportionate and that the state had not proven that Facebook's actions were intentional. They warned that the ruling could set a precedent that chills online speech by imposing heavy costs on platforms for technical compliance issues.

The decision is final and cannot be appealed to federal courts, as it involves state law. Washington's attorney general praised the ruling as a victory for campaign finance integrity, while Meta indicated it would review its options for further legal challenges. The fine is expected to be paid from the company's corporate funds.