The Republican effort to allow political party committees to spend unlimited money on campaigns in coordination with the candidates they support was rejected by a federal appeals court on Sept. 5. Vice presidential candidate Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) and other plaintiffs argued that current limits on coordinated party expenditures violate the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment. U.S. District Judge Douglas Cole sent the case to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.
The appeals court reaffirmed the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2001 decision, which held that the limits do not violate the First Amendment. Despite Republican arguments that more recent Supreme Court decisions have undermined this decision, the Sixth Circuit upheld the limits.
While the Republicans made valid points, the appeals court stated that until the Supreme Court itself addresses the 2001 ruling, they cannot take action. U.S. Circuit Judge Jeffrey Sutton emphasized that the Supreme Court has never overruled the decision, and it remains their responsibility to do so. He also noted that despite Congress adding new exemptions to the coordinated expenditure limits, the constitutional validity of the limits remains intact.
U.S. Circuit Judge John Bush concurred with the majority but suggested that the Supreme Court should revisit the 2001 decision due to conflicts with recent court rulings. On the other hand, U.S. Circuit Judge Chad Readler, in dissent, argued that recent doctrinal developments have rendered the spending restrictions unconstitutional.
The Federal Election Commission and the lawyer representing the plaintiffs did not provide comments on the ruling at the time of publication.
