Washington, D.C. — Today, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down federal limits on spending by political parties in coordination with candidates. In response, Devon Ombres, senior director for courts and legal policy at the Center for American Progress, issued the following statement:
Today’s ruling is another gift to special interests attempting to influence elected officials. Now, the far-right justices have overturned their own 25-year-old precedent that upheld these limits, allowing candidates to seek massive contributions from individual donors that can be directed to their campaigns. This opens the door further to, at a minimum, the appearance of quid pro quo corruption between donors and candidates, and it supercharges the influence of big money in politics. Campaign finance laws that combat corruption and the appearance of corruption do not violate the First Amendment. The Constitution did not change in the past quarter-century, but the makeup of the Supreme Court did.
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