The wealthy will be able to spread dough to as many political candidates as they like following a ruling by SCOTUS today, the NYT reports:
The decision, by a 5-to-4 vote along ideological lines, was sort of a sequel to Citizens United, the 2010 decision that struck down limits on independent campaign spending by corporations and unions. But that ruling did nothing to disturb the other main form of campaign finance regulation: caps on direct contributions to candidates and political parties.
Wednesday’s decision in McCutcheon v. Federal Election Commission, No. 12-536, addressed that second kind of regulation.
It did not disturb familiar base limits on contributions from individuals to candidates, currently $2,600 per candidate in primary and general elections.
But it said that overall limits of $48,600 every two years for contributions to all federal candidates violated the First Amendment, as did separate aggregate limits on contributions to political party committees, currently $74,600.
The Washington Post has put up a helpful primer on the case and decision.
Your thoughts?