In a cancel culture, anonymity must be a civil right

Anonymity, in ordinary times, is a tough topic to wrestle with. These days, however, it’s easy: Dissent, and thus democracy, will only survive in today’s culture if anonymity is preserved.

That’s why the Supreme Court’s 6-3 decision striking down California’s donor-disclosure law was correct and crucial.

In Americans For Prosperity v. Bonta, the court struck down California’s law requiring all charities and other nonprofit organizations to disclose their donors. California, in defending its law, was in effect trying to demolish the precedent set in NAACP v. Alabama, in which the court barred Alabama from requiring the NAACP to disclose all of its members.

Freedom of association is a fundamental right protected by the Constitution. Supreme Court jurisprudence holds that if a government wants to regulate it, the government needs a compelling interest, and the regulation needs to be narrowly tailored. California’s law clearly didn’t meet these standards.