District of Columbia Upholds Federal Contractor Contribution Ban

The District of Columbia denied a request for a preliminary injunction by Plaintiffs, three federal contractors.  The court, finding that the prohibition was "closely drawn" to serve a "sufficiently important government interest" discussed the history of the provision which originated more than 70 years ago as part of the 1940 Amendments to the Hatch Act amidst concerns about corruption arising from political contributions from contractors.  The court found that "there can thus be no doubt that preventing 'pay-to-play' deals or pressure on contractors to give – or the appearance that either is occurring – is sufficiently important to warrant restrictions on political contributions by federal contractors."