Mccutcheon V. Fec Case - 1279 Words

McCutcheon v. FEC was a landmark case in American campaign finance law which challenged that it is unconstitutional to limit an individual’s donations to as many parties as they want because in doing so their freedom of speech is being violated. The plaintiff is Shaun McCutcheon who is part of the Jefferson County Republic Party Steering Committee as well as the Reagan Foundation. The Republican National Committee was also a plaintiff. This case is a constitutional challenge to aggregate limits on contributions to federal candidates and to political committees such as PACs and parties. These aggregate limits restrict the total amount of money an individual may contribute to all candidates or all political committees during an election cycle. The plaintiff did not challenge the individual contribution limits on particular political entities but challenged the additional cap BCRA places on the total an individual can place on all political contributions. BCRA stands for the Bipa rtisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002, which addressed two main issues: â€Å"prohibiting national political party committees from raising or spending any funds not subject to federal limits . . . and the proliferation of issue advocacy ads† (which is defined as â€Å"electioneering communication† and was over turned in Citizens United v. FEC) (Campaign Finance Law Quick Reference for Reporters). So what does this mean exactly? Shaun McCutcheon saw it unconstitutional that he had a cap limit thatShow MoreRelatedPro Quo Corruption : Political Institutions And Agencies1685 Words   |  7 PagesAmendment rights. This unfortunately allows the Supreme Court and its jurisprudence to try and make decisions based on their own interpretations regarding campaign finance. The amount of money that is dumped into campaigns today is tremendous. The FEC reported that candidates, parties and outside groups spent about $7 billion on the 2012 election (politico.com). Campaign costs are so high; no wonder incumbents are believed to be susceptible to swaying policies in favor of their campaign contributorsRead MoreTo What Extent Has the Roberts Court Witnessed a Revival of Conservative Activism?817 Words   |  4 Pagesdramatic ways. Warren Court Cases | 1954 Brown vs the Board | Based on 14th Amendment- ended segregation and overturned Plessey vs Fergusson | Baker v. Carr  and  Reynolds v. Sims 1962-4 | Based on the 14th Amendment- asserted the right of all votes to be of equal value- and lead to reapportionment across the USA. | Gideon v. Wainwright,1963   Miranda v. Arizona,  1966 | Right to legal representation and to be informed of rights. The ‘Miranda warning’ |   Engel v. Vitale 1962 | Outlawed schoolRead MoreThe First Step Towards Lasting Campaign Finance Reform2697 Words   |  11 Pagesfreedoms guaranteed by the Constitution? Of particular focus recently is the Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission case, for which The Supreme Court heard oral argument on March 24, 2009 and the subsequent 9-0 ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in the Speechnow.org v. Federal Election Commission in March 26, 2010 case. Together these two precedent-setting cases are credited with establishing the legal framework that allowed for the recent creation of â€Å"Super