Case Categories: Campaign Finance and Other Political Campaign Regulations

The regulation of political campaigns has led to numerous Supreme Court rulings involving free speech rights embodied in the First Amendment. Issues have included  ballot access, rights of political parties, electioneering and what can be said during a campaign, campaign dislcosure requirements and contribution limits.

Following is a list of Supreme Court cases involving political campaign regulations and campaign finance.

• Arizona Free Enterprise Club's Freedom Club PAC v. Bennett (2011)

  An Arizona law that sought to level the playing field for political candidates and reduce corruption was ruled unconstitutional in Arizona Free Enterprise Club'...

• Austin v. Michigan Chamber of Commerce (1990)

  In Austin v. Michigan Chamber of Commerce, the Supreme Court upheld a Michigan law prohibiting nonprofit corporations from using general treasury fund revenues...

• Brown v. Socialist Workers Campaign Committee (1982)

  Brown v. Socialist Workers ’74 Campaign Committee (1982) said the First Amendment prohibits states from forcing minor political parties to reveal...

• Buckley v. Valeo (1976)

  Buckley v. Valeo (1976) said limits on campaign contributions did not violate the First Amendment freedom of expression, but limits on campaign spending were...

• Cammarano v. United States (1959)

  Cammarano v. United States (1959) said businesses cannot deduct from their taxes money spent to influence legislation. The Court said the law did not violate...

• Citizens Against Rent Control v. Berkeley (1981)

  Citizens Against Rent Control v. Berkeley (1981) said no compelling interest exists for restricting First Amendment rights of those donating to defeat or pass a...

• Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010)

  In a landmark 2010 decision, a divided Supreme Court used the First Amendment to invalidate a campaign regulation that banned corporate and union spending in...

• Colorado Republican Federal Campaign Committee v. Federal Election Commission (1996)

  Colorado Republican Federal Campaign Committee v. Federal Election Commission (1996) said a law that limited independent campaign expenditures ran afoul of the...

• Davis v. Federal Election Commission (2008)

  Davis v. Federal Election Commission (2008) struck down the "Millionaire's Amendment" of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act for violating the First Amendment...

• Delaware Strong Families v. Penn (2016)

  The court did not grant certiorari in Delaware Strong Families v. Penn (2016), which dealt with campaign disclosure and First Amendment anonymity rights...

• Federal Election Commission v. Beaumont (2003)

  FEC v. Beaumont (2003) said laws barring corporations' direct candidate contributions do not violate the First Amendment rights of nonprofit advocacy groups...

• Federal Election Commission v. Colorado Republican Federal Campaign Committee (2001)

  FEC v. CO Republican Federal Campaign Committee (2001) upheld limits on parties' direct candidate contributions but confirmed the First Amendment right to...

• Federal Election Commission v. Massachusetts Citizens for Life (1986)

  FEC v. Massachusetts Citizens for Life (1986) found that while a nonprofit corporation violated the Federal Election Campaign Act, its application violated the...

• Federal Election Commission v. National Conservative PAC (1985)

  In Federal Election Commission v. National Conservative PAC (1985), the Court said that a ban on certain independent PAC spending violated the First Amendment...

• Federal Election Commission v. National Right to Work Committee (1982)

  FEC v. National Right to Work Committee (1982) upheld regulations on PAC contributions solicited by corporations and said the regulations outweighed certain...

• Federal Election Commission v. Wisconsin Right to Life, Inc. (2007)

  FEC v. Wisconsin Right to Life, Inc. (2007) ruled that part of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act violated the First Amendment as applied to certain forms of...

• First National Bank of Boston v. Bellotti (1978)

  First National Bank of Boston v. Bellotti (1978) ruled that a state restriction on political contributions by corporations violated the First Amendment...

• McConnell v. Federal Election Commission (2003)

  McConnell v. Federal Election Commission (2003) upheld major provisions of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002, rejecting claims that the act stifled...

• McCutcheon v. FEC (2014)

  McCutcheon v. FEC (2014) invalidated some campaign regulations that imposed limits on political contributions. The Court said the regulations directly limited...

• McIntyre v. Ohio Elections Commission (1995)

  In McIntyre v. Ohio Elections Commission (1995), the Court ruled that an Ohio statute requiring author identification on election-related publications violated...

• Nevada Commission on Ethics v. Carrigan (2011)

  Nevada Commission on Ethics v. Carrigan (2011) determined that a recusal provision did not violate a city council’s First Amendment free-speech rights...

• Nixon v. Shrink Missouri Government PAC (2000)

  Nixon v. Shrink Missouri Government PAC (2000) concluded that Missouri’s political contribution limits did not infringe on First Amendment rights of free...

• Randall v. Sorrell (2006)

  The Supreme Court ruled in Randall v. Sorrell in 2016 that Vermont's spending and contribution limits infringed upon the First Amendment's right to free speech...

• Thompson v. Hebdon (2019)

  The U.S. Supreme Court in November 2019 vacated a 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that had upheld an Alaska state law limiting campaign contributions....

• United States v. Auto Workers (1957)

  In 1957, the Supreme Court held that the use of general union treasury funds to sponsor commercial television broadcasts touting 1954 congressional candidates...

• United States v. Congress of Industrial Organizations (1948)

  In 1948, the Supreme Court upheld the dismissal of an indictment against the labor union CIO for including a judicial candidate endorsement in its weekly...

• Williams-Yulee v. Florida Bar (2015)

  In 2015, the Supreme Court upheld 5-4 a Florida rule that prohibited judicial candidates from soliciting money for their campaign in a case involving a judicial...