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October 9, 2013

Supreme Court Weighs Limits on Individual Campaign Donations 
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The U.S. Supreme Court appears poised to strike down most of the
remaining limits on massive spending by wealthy donors on political
campaigns. On Tuesday, justices heard arguments in Mc Cutcheon v.
Federal Election Commission, which has been referred to as "the next
Citizens United." Republican leaders and wealthy GOP donor Shaun Mc
Cutcheon want the Supreme Court to throw out aggregate limits on
individual contributions in a single-two year cycle, saying they violate
free speech. On Tuesday, the likely swing vote, Chief Justice John
Roberts, indicated he is prepared to strike down caps on donations to
individual candidates, but perhaps not on donations to political
committees. At a rally outside the hearing, Senator Bernie Sanders said
unlimited private spending undermines U.S. democracy.

Sen. Bernie Sanders: "The bottom line here is that if we do not want to
move this nation to an oligarchic form of society where a handful of
billionaires can determine the outcome of these elections, then it is
imperative not only we overturn Citizens United, but we put a lid on how
much people can contribute in elections. Freedom of speech in my view
does not mean the freedom to buy the United States government."

The Mc Cutcheon case marks the first major challenge to campaign finance
rules since the 2010 Citizens United decision, which opened the
floodgates for unlimited corporate spending on elections.

 

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