[I’m a little behind on the docket due to the holidays and a few competing deadlines. As I catch up, many of the docket entries will be more abbreviated.]
At issue in NRCC v. FEC is whether a law restricting coordinated spending between parties and campaigns violates the First Amendment. Relying on a 2001 decision, the Sixth Circuit sided with the FEC. The Court has whittled away campaign finance protections since then, and it is invited to further do so in this case.
This is an important case and I hope to return to it later. For now, just the model prediction: on a partisan 6-3 basis, the Court will accept the invitation to reverse the Sixth Circuit. If there is a deviation, it is most likely to be Roberts--but it would take two justices to change the outcome. This means that parties will have a freer hand to coordinate spending with campaigns. It may also signal the final phase of the First Amendment’s triumph over campaign finance regulation.
vote predictions
