On February 21, 2006, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to review an appeals court decision that rejected a First Amendment challenge to an advertising campaign conducted by California. The Court’s action, made without comment, was a setback for WLF, which filed a brief urging the Court to review the appeals court ruling. WLF argued that the First Amendment prohibits a State from forcing a company to pay for advertisements that vilify the company. California imposes a special fee on the tobacco industry and then uses it to finance a $25 million per-year ad campaign that repeatedly portrays tobacco companies as liars and “public enemies.” WLF argued that the First Amendment protection against compelled financial support of speech to which one objects has been recognized repeatedly by the courts and applies just as strongly when the speaker is the government as it does when the speaker is a private party. WLF also filed briefs in the case when it was before the appeals court.