Today the Supreme Court ruled in National Republican Senatorial Committee v. Federal Election Commission that limits on the amount of money political parties can spend on candidates violate the First Amendment.
Michael Waldman, president and CEO at the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law, had the following reaction.
“Today’s campaign finance ruling is part of the Roberts Court’s 16-year drive to destroy anti-corruption laws. From Citizens United forward,these justices have ushered in an era of massive money in politics. If you don’t like the way the political system is working, blame the Supreme Court.
“Here, the Court again overrode the law passed by Congress, going against the wishes of the vast majority of the American public who want reasonable campaign finance limits. The questions at the heart of this case were for Congress to answer, not nine unelected justices.
“The Court’s campaign finance vendetta has given wealthy donors outsized influence, resulting in a fusion of private wealth and political power unseen since the Gilded Age. Public trust in our institutions is plummeting. Congress must act to curb corruption arising from the flood of money in elections and restore Americans’ faith in government. Ambitious reform is long overdue.”
Brennan Center resources
- Friend-of-the-Court Brief:“National Republican Senatorial Committee v. Federal Election Commission,” October 6, 2025
- Nine Solutions for Political Corruption, by Eric Petry, Daniel Weiner, and Joanna Zdanys, January 20, 2026
- “Poll: Voters Want Solutions for Government Corruption,” by Alex Brunet and Marina Pino, June 2, 2026
