(The Center Square) - The Washington State Supreme Court affirmed a $35.2 million penalty against Meta Platforms Inc. on Thursday, ruling that the social media giant violated state campaign finance laws by failing to transparently disclose details regarding political advertisements.
However, the high court fractured on how the financial penalty was calculated, leaving a lower court's judgment standing after the deadlocked justices could not agree on an alternative.
The case, State of Washington v. Meta Platforms, Inc., centers on the state’s Fair Campaign Practices Act, which requires commercial advertisers to maintain public records for political ads, detailing sponsor names, addresses, exact costs and targeted demographics.
