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Denying a challenge by a tea party group, the Texas Supreme Court ruled Friday that state limits on corporate political contributions are constitutional.

The ruling also affirmed state laws creating campaign contribution reporting requirements and giving private organizations a right to sue over alleged violations of election laws.

The case began in 2010 when the Texas Democratic Party filed a lawsuit accused King Street Patriots of making illegal contributions to the Republican Party and GOP candidates by training and providing poll watchers to the party to monitor the 2010 general election in Harris County.

The lawsuit also accused the tea party-aligned group of failing to register as a political committee and failing to disclose its donors as required by state law.

King Street Patriots countersued, arguing that donor-disclosure rules and several state election laws were unconstitutional, and both sides agreed to have the courts decide if the laws were enforceable before determining if the organization violated any of them.

A Travis County district judge and the Austin-based 3rd Court of Appeals have upheld the challenged election laws, leading to the Supreme Courts review.

King Street Patriots argued that state donor-disclosure laws place onerous burdens on small organizations by requiring them to register with the state, keep records and file extensive, ongoing reports leaving many to avoid participating in politics as simply not worth it.

The organization also sued to overturn a provision that allows private groups, such as the Texas Democratic Party, to sue to enforce election laws.

Democrats argued that Texas legislators decided long ago to allow unlimited spending on political campaigns and issues as long as committees disclosed the sources of the money critical information if voters are to make informed choices.

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Texas Supreme Court denies tea party challenge to election laws - Austin American-Statesman