PORTLAND (AP) – An activist from Texas who sought greater disclosure about a conservative think tank’s role in a 2006 referendum campaign on a proposed cap on government spending has lost his appeal to Maine’s highest court.

The Supreme Judicial Court ruled Tuesday that Carl Lindemann lacked standing to challenge the state ethics commission’s determination regarding the Maine Heritage Policy Center’s involvement in the campaign for a 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 to disclose how much time and money it spent on the campaign.

Lindemann, however, regarded the ruling as a slap on the wrist and sought a full investigation by the ethics panel in hopes of reinforcing his allegation that TABOR was the brainchild of national anti-tax advocates who worked with Maine Heritage Policy Center to promote and fund the campaign.

His lawyer, John Branson of Portland, said he was disappointed but not terribly surprised by the supreme court ruling. He said Lindemann may turn to the Legislature to seek a statutory change that would allow a citizen to take a case like his to court.