Mitch McConnell's fondest desire.
The Supreme Court could
blow campaign finance limits out of the water this session. Arguments in
McCutcheon v. Federal Election Commission will be heard Tuesday.
McCutcheon v. Federal Election Commission, the lawsuit challenging the total amount of money a single donor can give to all federal candidates could have far-reaching implications for the way campaigns and political parties are financed.
The court’s 2010 Citizens United decision has entered the vernacular as shorthand for the explosion of money in politics. That case, along with another that allowed the creation of super PACs, led to donors writing multimillion-dollar checks. Because of the way modern campaigns are financed — by candidates partnering with federal, state and local parties — McCutcheon’s lawsuit could have the consequence of allowing politicians to ask a single donor for $1 million a pop, or more. [...]
Though the case deals only with the total donation cap, the court could use the opportunity to undercut—or toss—the laws governing contribution limits to candidates. Or, more likely, it could crack open the door for other challenges that would further roll back the campaign-finance system that has been in place since the early 1970s.
In a not-encouraging sign, the Court has given Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's lawyers
10 minutes of the hour-long argument to argue for McCutcheon, even though McConnell is not directly involved in the case at all. McConnell, however, is deeply committed to the cause of raising as much money as he possibly can for his re-election, in the name of the First Amendment, of course.