National Republican Senatorial Committee v. Federal Election Commission
Issues
Do statutes that limit the amount a political party can donate in coordination with a political candidate violate the First Amendment?
This case asks the Court to determine whether 52 U.S.C. § 30116 of the Federal Election Campaign Act (“FECA”) violates the First Amendment rights of political parties wishing to coordinate donations for their preferred candidates’ political campaigns. FECA was established to set a cap on a political party’s coordinated expenditures to prevent circumvention of contribution limits. Petitioners, National Republican Senatorial Committee (“NRSC”), National Republican Congressional Committee (“NRCC”), former Senator J.D. Vance, and former Representative Stephen Chabot (collectively “NRSC”), argue that the limits on coordinated party expenditures violate the First Amendment because they infringe their speech and political association rights. NRSC further argues that Colorado II, a case in which the Supreme Court previously upheld coordinated party expenditure limits, should not control this case. The Court-appointed attorney Roman Martinez, invited to support the judgment below, argues that the coordinated party expenditure limits are necessary to achieve the government interest in preventing quid-pro-quo corruption between donors and candidates, and that Colorado II must control this case’s outcome. Martinez further highlights several justiciability concerns. The outcome of this case could impact political corruption deterrence and Congress’ ability to regulate campaign finance.
Questions as Framed for the Court by the Parties
Whether the limits on coordinated party expenditures in 52 U.S.C. § 30116 violate the First Amendment, either on their face or as applied to party spending in connection with "party coordinated communications" as defined in 11 C.F.R. § 109.37.
Congress enacted the Federal Election Campaign Act (“FECA”) in 1972 to regulate political campaign spending. National Republican Senatorial Committee v. Federal Election Commission (“NRSC v. FEC”) at 4. The FECA imposes a variety of limits on individual contributions to political parties and on political parties’ campaign spending.
Additional Resources
- Sabrina Eaton, Campaign finance limits: Supreme Court takes up challenge from Ohio Republicans, Cleveland.com (July 1, 2025).
- Nick Evans, US Supreme Court agrees to hear campaign finance case tied to Ohio Republican politicians, Ohio Capital Journal (July 11, 2025).
- Andrew Howard and Jessica Piper, Supreme Court to hear case that could upend campaign finance coordination rules, Politico (June 30, 2025).
- Lawrence Hurley, Supreme Court takes up major new challenge to campaign finance restrictions, NBC News (June 30, 2025).