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Supreme Court’s McCutcheon Decision is a Blow Against Average Voters

Once again, the Supreme Court has struck down a law that curbs the corrupting influence of large campaign contributions.

April 2, 2014

Today, the U.S. Supreme Court voted in McCutcheon v. FEC, the most critical campaign finance case since Citizens United, to strike down overall contribution limits, known as aggregate limits. The Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law released the following statement from President Michael Waldman:

"Today’s Supreme Court decision rejects decades of precedent and strikes a sharp blow against the interests of average voters. Once again the Court has struck down a law that curbs the corrupting influence of large campaign contributions in our politics. Sadly, the Court has also achieved a new milestone by striking down a federal contribution limit for the first time.

“Our Founders feared corruption. They did not want government beholden to narrow, elite interests. Eliminating these limits will now allow a single politician to solicit, and a single donor to give, up to $3.6 million through the use of joint fundraising committees. Following the Citizens United decision, this will further inundate a political system already flush with cash, marginalize average voters, and elevate those who can afford to buy political access.”

Read here how the Roberts Court has systematically dismantled American campaign finance law.

See more of the Brennan Center’s work on money in politics.

For more information or to set up an interview, please contact Naren Daniel (naren.daniel@nyu.edu, 646–292–8381), or Erik Opsal (erik.opsal@nyu.edu, 646–292–8356).