RNC asks SCOTUS to strike down contribution limits

The Republican National Committee argued that certain limits on campaign contributions violate the First Amendment

Published May 8, 2013 4:21PM (EDT)

The Republican National Committee filed a brief asking the Supreme Court to strike down certain limits on campaign contributions, because they violate the First Amendment.

The Hill reports that the RNC is challenging how much an individual can donate in the course of a two-year election cycle:

Individual donors cannot donate more than $74,600 to political committees, such as the RNC, in a two-year period. Contributions to individual candidates are capped at $48,600, meaning one donor could only give the maximum donation to nine candidates per cycle.

The RNC said in its brief that the court should strike down aggregate limits because they infringe on donors' First Amendment rights but don't serve an appropriate and “narrowly tailored” government interest.

The Court is scheduled to take up campaign finance limits in its next term, which starts in October.


By Jillian Rayfield

Jillian Rayfield is an Assistant News Editor for Salon, focusing on politics. Follow her on Twitter at @jillrayfield or email her at jrayfield@salon.com.

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