Vice President-elect J.D. Vance and a Republican committee asked the Supreme Court to overturn federal restrictions on political parties from coordinating spending with candidates on the grounds that it violates the First Amendment. asked.
Limits on donations to candidates are imposed by party committees such as the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) and the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), which are plaintiffs along with former Rep. Steve Chabot (R-Ohio). much lower than the contribution limit for. .
“Parties exist to elect candidates, but Congress severely limits the amount of money each party can spend on its own campaign advertising, especially when working with its own candidates.” said. wrote in the petition It was published on Friday.
The Federal Election Commission (FEC) declined to comment on the lawsuit.
Candidates can only accept $3,300 per person per election During the 2024 cycle, NRSC may receive up to $578,200 from one donor per cycle.
The limits on how much party committees could coordinate with candidates were originally intended to prevent corruption and the outsized influence of a few wealthy individuals.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit ruled against Vance and the party committee in September, but only because the Supreme Court did not overturn a 2001 ruling that upheld the restrictions.
Chief Justice Jeffrey Sutton said, “Even if the Supreme Court adopts new reasoning in a particular area, and that reasoning is said to undermine the foundations of the decision, it is still the court's job to overturn it. It's not our job.” I wrote it at the time.
The plaintiffs argued that the restrictions were an affront to the First Amendment rights of political parties and candidates, and asked the court to overturn the ruling.
“And its constitutional violations induce donors to send their money elsewhere, leading to the 'rise of narrowly focused 'super PACs'” in the political market and the consequent decline in the power of political parties. By promoting this, it is having a negative impact on our political system. “Overall, political polarization and division have skyrocketed,” the plaintiffs wrote.
Contributed by Zach Schoenfeld.
