The Pennsylvania Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments this morning regarding the legality of the city's campaign finance law - almost 18 months since that question was first raised.
These days, with a mayor's race that is not much of a contested election, there has been little brouhaha over the law, which created the first-ever donor limits in Philadelphia elections.
Among other issues is the central matter of whether the city, under the state's election code, has the authority to regulate campaign contributions. State law is silent on the matter, which has left some people (the city itself as well as Democratic mayoral nominee Michael Nutter) arguing that the city is perfectly in its right to do so. Others (former mayoral candidate U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah and labor leader John Dougherty) believe the city ordinance is unconstitutional.
This is an oversimplification of things, but one trial court ruled last year that the law was invalid, while another trial court said it wasn't. Then a Commonwealth Court in April declared it legal. Now it's the turn of the state's highest court.
No decision, of course, is immediately expected.
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