National Republican Senatorial Committee v. Federal Election Comm’n
609 U. S. ____ (2026) · 6/30/26
The Federal Election Campaign Act’s restrictions on a political party’s spending on campaign activities in coordination with candidates, 52 U. S. C. §30116(d), violates the First Amendment.
Edition: slip opinion
Voices: Syllabus — prepared by the Reporter of Decisions · Justice Kavanaugh delivered the opinion of the Court. · Justice Kagan, with whom Justice Sotomayor and Justice Jackson join, dissenting.
The Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA) restricts a political party’s spending on campaign activities in coordination with candidates. 52 U. S. C. §30116(d). In 2001, this Court upheld those coordinated- expenditure limits as consistent with the First Amendment. See Fed eral Election Comm’n v. Colorado Republican Federal Campaign Comm., 533 U. S. 431 (Colorado II). Petitioners—a group of candidates and political party committees—challenged FECA’s political- party coordinated-expenditure limits under the First Amendment, arguing that Colorado II is no longer good law. In light of Colorado II,…
Held: FECA’s political-party coordinated-expenditure limits violate the First Amendment. Pp. 6–26. (a) The Court has jurisdiction under Article III. At the outset of the litigation, at least one of the plaintiffs—then-candidate for Senate JD Vance—undisputedly had standing. Vice President Vance still maintains an active “Statement of Candidacy” on file with the FEC indicating his intent to run for Senate in 2028, as well as a campaign committee that has raised money for a Senate race, establishing that this dispute is justiciable. Pp. 5–6. (b) The First Amendment provides that “Congress shall…Read it in the reading room ›