Supreme Court strikes down party spending limits

The Supreme Court has struck down federal limits on how much political parties can spend in coordination with candidates — a six-to-three decision reshaping campaign-finance rules ahead of the midterms. Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote for the majority that these spending limits violate the First Amendment, saying 'more speech is generally better than less.' The ruling overturns a precedent from more than twenty-five years ago. According to Axios, party committees can now spend without limit alongside their candidates, becoming far more powerful vehicles for big-dollar donations that historically went to super PACs. Supporters of striking down the limits argue this strengthens parties, which they say the old caps weakened while outside groups became dominant. But Justice Elena Kagan warned in dissent that the court 'ushers back in the same opportunities for quid pro quo corruption that the contribution limits were meant to check.' Critics worry major donors could evade the remaining anti-corruption safeguards. The case was brought by Republican party committees, Vice President JD Vance, and former Ohio Representative Steve Chabot, who argued the law prevented parties from coordinating effectively with candidates.

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