McCutcheon v. FEC
2014 United States Supreme Court case / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
McCutcheon v. Federal Election Commission, 572 U.S. 185 (2014), was a landmark decision of the US Supreme Court on campaign finance. The decision held that Section 441 of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971, which imposed a limit on contributions an individual can make over a two-year period to all national party and federal candidate committees, is unconstitutional.[1]
McCutcheon v. Federal Election Commission | |
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Argued October 8, 2013 Decided April 2, 2014 | |
Full case name | Shaun McCutcheon, et al., Appellants v. Federal Election Commission |
Docket no. | 12-536 |
Citations | 572 U.S. 185 (more) 134 S. Ct. 1434; 188 L. Ed. 2d 468 |
Argument | Oral argument |
Case history | |
Prior | 893 F. Supp. 2d 133 (D.D.C. 2012) |
Holding | |
Limitations on aggregate contributions to campaign finances violate the Free Speech Clause of the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States. | |
Court membership | |
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Case opinions | |
Plurality | Roberts, joined by Scalia, Kennedy, Alito |
Concurrence | Thomas (in judgment) |
Dissent | Breyer, joined by Ginsburg, Sotomayor, Kagan |
Laws applied | |
U.S. Const. amend. I |
The case was argued before the Supreme Court on October 8, 2013,[2] being brought on appeal after the United States District Court for the District of Columbia dismissed the challenge. It was decided on April 2, 2014, by a 5–4 vote,[3] reversing the decision below and remanding. Justices Roberts, Scalia, Kennedy, and Alito invalidated "aggregate contribution limits" (amounts one can contribute over the two-year period) as violating the First Amendment. Justice Thomas provided the necessary fifth vote but concurred separately in the judgment, while arguing that all contribution limits are unconstitutional.