Supreme Court sides with Russell Simmons

Today, a State Supreme Court judge sided with Russell Simmons and agreed that parts of New York's Lobbying Act are unconstitutional.

Simmons was the subject of a New York Temporary State Commission on Lobbying investigation since he organized a rally on June 4, 2003 to protest the state's harsh Rockefeller drug laws, passed in 1973, which mandate prison terms for individuals found guilty of possessing small amounts of drugs.

The commission claimed that the rally was considered lobbying and that as such, Simmons and partner Dr. Benjamin Chavis, former head of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, had to divulge how much they spent to organize the protest.

Simmons said he handed in all the paperwork the commission requested and further stated that he is not a lobbyist, but a celebrity hoping to use his influence to educate the public on the unfairness of the drug laws, and that holding the rally was within his rights to exercise free speech.

Judge Bernard Malone agreed with their argument and ruled that the lobbying act violates due-process rights by failing to give notice or a hearing before handing down a penalty.

"The fact is," Simmons said in a statement issued Wednesday, "we should have the right to express our opinions about laws we deem unjust. I'm happy about this ruling because, going forward, you won't have to be a millionaire to say what's on your mind or stand up for your rights."

Although the ruling represents a victory for Simmons, changes in the Rockefeller laws have yet to be implemented, as the legislature is in the midst of its longest state-budget impasse in New York state history, according to The New York Times.

Simmons isn't simply reveling in this most recent victory. Instead, on August 30, the same day the Republican National Convention begins in New York, Simmons and the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network will hold "The March on New York."

The rally, which Simmons expects to be the "biggest hip-hop gathering ever," will address topics including the elimination of the Rockefeller drug laws. ---MTV