AUGUSTA — A federal court judge ruled Tuesday that a 2024 Maine ballot question seeking to limit certain types of campaign contributions is unconstitutional.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Karen Frink Wolf granted a permanent injunction, agreeing with plaintiffs that the question is “unconstitutional on its face.” The ruling will be appealed, supporters say.

In November, voters approved Question 1, a citizen initiative that sought to limit to $5,000 contributions to political action committees that work independently to support or defeat candidates for office.

The measure passed with 75% support, but before it could go into effect, conservative groups, with support from the Institute for Free Speech, filed suit.

On Tuesday, those groups hailed the ruling, saying the law would have silenced “independent voices.”

“This ruling reaffirms that the First Amendment protects citizens’ right to pool their resources for political speech,” Institute for Free Speech attorney Charles Miller said in a statement. “The Free Speech Clause is not only for the wealthy few who can afford to get a message out individually. The rest of us can pool our money to speak too.”

Even before the November vote, supporters of the ballot question said they brought it forward as a test case for the courts.

They set the limit at $5,000, believing that it would take more than that to influence decisions made by politicians.

Sen. Rick Bennett, a supporter of the ballot question, said the case will now be appealed to the circuit court and potentially the U.S. Supreme Court.

A 2026 candidate for governor as an independent, Bennett said candidates have largely lost control of their own messaging because they are drowned out by large political action committees.

He said there are already limits on contributions to candidates, so he’s hoping the courts will agree that there should be limits on money given to committees.

“If there are limits for candidates it’s fair to think of limits for other people who are engaged in electioneering,” he said.

The initiative was backed by Harvard Law professor Lawrence Lessig and his group, Equal Citizens.