Skip to main content

Court: Big Money Worth More than Citizens' Voices

Press Release / Last Updated:

“Yet another irresponsible decision on money in politics by the Roberts Court,” says League

Washington, DC – Today, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that aggregate campaign contribution limits are invalid in the case of McCutcheon v. Federal Election Commission. The case challenged the limits on the total contributions from an individual donor to candidates and political committees in order to prevent corruption and the appearance of corruption. The League of Women Voters of the U.S. joined an amicus brief in this case.

“This is yet another irresponsible decision on money in politics by the Roberts Court,” said Elisabeth MacNamara, president of the League of Women Voters of the U.S. “The Court has used the McCutcheon decision to continue dismantling the wall of protection against corruption – case by case, brick by brick.”

“The importance of this decision cannot be overstated,” MacNamara said. “While McCutcheon dealt with a technical and arcane matter of campaign finance law, in the end it is all about more money and more influence. In this decision, as in previous decisions, the Chief Justice ignores the corruption he is turning loose in America’s election system.”

“In this decision, the Court opens another loophole by allowing our political parties to be further corrupted by big-money contributions from special interests. The party and Political Action Committee systems now become a huge funnel for corrupting elected officials across the country,” MacNamara said.

“The McCutcheon decision simply means more power for big money, more corruption for the rest of us. The Roberts Court is saying that big money is worth more than the voices of individual citizens,” concluded MacNamara.

Contact: Kelly Ceballos, 202-263-1331, [email protected]

 

###

 

Like” the League on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter: @LWV.

 

The League of Women Voters, a nonpartisan political organization, encourages informed and active participation in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influences public policy through education and advocacy.

Donate to support our work

to empower voters and defend democracy.