PORTLAND -- An activist who sought greater disclosure of a conservative think tank's role in a 2006 referendum campaign has lost his appeal to Maine's highest court.

The Supreme Judicial Court ruled today that Carl Lindemann of Texas lacked standing to challenge the state ethics commission's decision regarding the Maine Heritage Policy Center's role in a campaign seeking to cap government spending -- also known as the Taxpayer Bill of Rights.

The justices concluded that Lindemann was not "aggrieved" by the commission's decision because he suffered no direct or personal injury.

In a ruling issued a month after TABOR's rejection, the Commission on Governmental Ethics and Election Practices ordered the Maine Heritage Policy Center, a conservative think tank, to disclose how much time and money it spent on the campaign.