biennial contribution limits

The Supreme Court’s latest major campaign finance decision, McCutcheon v. FEC, “does not involve” a challenge to current limits on contributions to political party committees and PACs, which the Court “previously upheld as serving the permissible objective of combatting corruption.”  But it nonetheless provides fodder for those who would…
Continue Reading After McCutcheon, Are Limits on Party Committee and PAC Contributions Justifiable?

In his controlling opinion yesterday in McCutcheon v. FEC, Chief Justice John Roberts struck down the federal aggregate campaign contribution limits.  These limits capped the total amount one individual could give to candidates, party committees, and PACs in a two-year election cycle.  The purpose of the limits was to…
Continue Reading Don’t Hold Your Breath for a Legislative “Fix” to McCutcheon

Despite the heated rhetoric surrounding today’s McCutcheon decision, it should be remembered that the aggregate contribution limits the Court struck down today have played only a minor role in recent controversies surrounding campaign finance regulation.  In recent years, debates surrounding the disclosure of political spending have instead taken center stage. …
Continue Reading Both Sides of the Political Disclosure Divide Likely to Latch onto McCutcheon Decision

Today, in McCutcheon v. FEC, the Supreme Court struck down the complex array of overall limits on federal political contributions that have been in force since 1974.  Covington issued a detailed advisory analyzing the opinion and its consequences.  We refer our blog readers to that advisory for the details.
Continue Reading Supreme Court Strikes Down Overall Limits on Federal Contributions

The Supreme Court is expected to rule soon, in McCutcheon v. FEC, on whether the Federal Election Campaign Act’s biennial aggregate limits on individual political contributions are constitutionality permissible.  Many have argued that, if the Supreme Court strikes down the federal limits, aggregate limits imposed by state law will…
Continue Reading Will States Ignore the Supreme Court’s Coming McCutcheon Decision?

If the Supreme Court strikes down the biennial limit on the amount an individual can contribute to all federal candidates, political parties and PACs, the most immediate effect may be to expand the role of Joint Fundraising Committees (JFCs) in campaign finance.

JFC’s allow candidates, party committees and PACs to…
Continue Reading Will McCutcheon Usher in the Era of Super Joint Fundraising Committees?

The top story in today’s campaign finance press is the Supreme Court’s decision to hear McCutcheon v. FEC, a challenge to the Federal Election Campaign Act’s biennial limits on individual contributions to candidate and non-candidate committees.  Here are a few key take-aways.

Timing.  The Court’s argument calendar is…
Continue Reading Supreme Court to Take Up Biennial Contribution Limits

The Federal Election Commission increased the limits on the amount an individual can contribute to a candidate or national political party, as well as the overall limit on the amount an individual can give to all federal candidates and federal political committees in a two-year election cycle.

An individual can…
Continue Reading FEC Increases Individual Contribution Limits for 2013-2014

Earlier today, a three-judge panel in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia rejected a constitutional challenge to the Federal Election Campaign Act’s (“FECA”) biennial aggregate contribution limits in McCutcheon v. FEC, No. 12-cv-1034 (D.D.C. Sept. 28, 2012).  Under FECA, an individual may contribute no more than…
Continue Reading Court Upholds Aggregate Federal Contribution Limits