The Supreme Court is considering whether to overturn a 25-year-old decision that limits how much political parties can spend on candidates.
The court's nine justices heard arguments Tuesday in a case brought by a group that backs Senate Republicans. Then-Sen. JD Vance, now the U.S. vice president, are among those seeking to overturn the longstanding precedent.
The question being posed to the Supreme Court is do federal coordinated party expenditure limits violate the First Amendment? The Supreme Court could punt on the case by ruling that Vance and Senate Republicans do not have the standing to challenge the limits.
Democrats are calling on the court to uphold the law. A federal appeals court previously agreed with the Democrats' arguments in upholding the law.
RELATED STORY | Supreme Court to hear GOP-backed case on lifting party spending limits
The Federal Election Commission and the GOP argue the court should take a skeptical view of the limits. The conservative majority has previously struck down various campaign finance restrictions, including the 2010 Citizens United decision that opened the door to unlimited independent spending.
Direct campaign contribution limits are expected to remain in place following the Supreme Court's ruling, which could come in the spring or summer of 2026. The court's liberal justices appeared skeptical of the plaintiff's case during questioning Tuesday.
Former Sen. Russ Feingold, a Wisconsin Democrat who partnered with then-Sen. John McCain, to pass campaign finance reform, urged the Court to uphold the limits.
"A representative democracy to thrive, elected officials must be responsive to their constituents and avoid even the appearance of corruption. Campaign finance regulation exists to reinforce these guardrails. Yet, for years, opponents of regulation have persistently chiseled away at the limits established to prevent excessive campaign cash from corrupting our elections," wrote attorneys for Feingold in a brief to the Supreme Court.
RELATED STORY | The History Of Campaign Financing
