Category: Campaign Finance

Court Partially Strikes Down Campaign-Finance Laws of Austin, Texas

In the spirit of the 2018 midterms, campaign-finance laws in Austin, Texas were recently challenged by Donald Zimmerman, a former City Council member.  Specifically, he challenged three restrictions of a law enacted via a ballot initiative in 1997.  These three restrictions were (1) a $350 cap on contributions per contributor per election, (2) a prohibition… Read More Court Partially Strikes Down Campaign-Finance Laws of Austin, Texas

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Court Upholds Federal Limit on Per-Election Campaign Contributions

Laura Holmes and Paul Jost—a married couple who appear to have done political fundraising in the past—challenged a federal law’s per-election ceilings on First Amendment grounds.  That law limits the amount that an individual can contribute to a candidate for a federal office (such as a presidential candidate).  The per-individual limit is $2600.  That same federal… Read More Court Upholds Federal Limit on Per-Election Campaign Contributions

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Montana’s Campaign Contribution Limits Upheld

This is another post-Citizens United challenge to campaign-finance laws. In 1994, voters in Montana passed a state initiative known simply as “Initiative 118,” which altered limits on campaign contributions in state elections.  These changes included reducing the amount of money individuals and PACs could contribute to candidates (direct contributions) and increasing the amount of money… Read More Montana’s Campaign Contribution Limits Upheld

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Texas Supreme Court Upholds Ban on Corporate Contributions to Political Candidates

Yes, this case is related to the Citizens United decision from 2010. But this Texas case shows what kind of campaign-finance laws are constitutionally allowed post-Citizens United. Okay, to explain what happened in this Texas case requires just a little in-the-weeds review of Citizens United (and in particular what wasn’t at issue in the case). A federal law… Read More Texas Supreme Court Upholds Ban on Corporate Contributions to Political Candidates

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