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Supreme Court Ends Limits on Coordinated Party and Candidate Spending
The U.S. Supreme Court on June 30 issued a 6-3 decision that eliminates long-standing caps on spending coordination between national political parties and candidates. The ruling overrules a 2001 precedent and affects provisions in the 2002 Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act.
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The U.S. Supreme Court on June 30 issued a 6-3 decision striking down federal limits on coordinated expenditures between political parties and candidates. The ruling allows the Democratic National Committee and the National Republican Congressional Committee to coordinate spending directly with candidates without the previous statutory caps.
Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote the majority opinion. He stated that constitutional text, history, and precedent establish that the political-party coordinated-expenditure limits violate the First Amendment. The decision overturned the 2001 Colorado II precedent that had upheld the limits.
Justice Elena Kagan wrote the dissent for the three Democratic appointees. She stated that the First Amendment permits campaign finance restrictions that are narrowly tailored to protect against quid pro quo corruption and its appearance, and that caps on a party’s coordinated expenditures pass that test. The lawsuit originated from Vice President J.D.
Vance’s time in the Senate. The limits struck down had been in place since the 1970s and were also contained in the 2002 Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act. President Trump stated that the Supreme Court just took restrictions off political spending.
The case was argued under the Roberts Court. The Supreme Court building was photographed the previous day in Washington, D.C.
