Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002: an overview
[updated December 2003]
The Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (pdf) was signed into law in March of 2002. On the same day that BCRA became official federal policy, Senator Mitch McConnell and the National Rifle Association ("NRA") both filed complaints, challenging the constitutionality of the bill. The cases were assigned to a district court of three judges - District Court Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly, District Court Judge Richard J. Leon, and Circuit Court Judge Karen LeCraft Henderson. In the wake of numerous amicus briefs, 1,676 pages of briefs, and over 100,000 pages of witness testimony, the District Court commenced oral arguments on December 4, 2002 and filed their final opinion on May 1, 2003. Parties on both sides immediately began the appeals process to the Supreme Court. To accommodate the large number of parties, as well as the need for a quick and appropriate ruling, the Court scheduled oral arguments in McConnell v. Federal Election Commission to commence on September 8, 2003, a month before the 2003-2004 term officially began. On December 10, 2003, the Supreme Court delivered their opinion. McConnell v. FEC, 540 U.S. 93 (2003)
