Contribution Limits: Caps on First Amendment Activity

January 1, 2018  •  By IFS Staff  •    •  

Contribution limits are monetary restrictions on the amount an individual or group can donate to a political actor – usually a candidate, political party, or political action committee. The Supreme Court first allowed limits on contributions in Buckley v. Valeo. The Court’s ruling acknowledged that contribution limits were a restriction on First Amendment activity, but allowed them on the theory…

In Pursuit of Greater Privacy: A More Nuanced Approach to Disclosure of Candidate Contributions in the Internet Age

June 9, 2025   •  By Helen Knowles-Gardner   •  , , , ,

Today, the same research might take five minutes. Just five minutes for someone to do an online search to find out your personal history ...

Institute for Free Speech Applauds DOJ’s Decision Not to Defend Party Coordination Limits

May 20, 2025   •  By IFS Staff   •  , , ,

The Solicitor General's position aligns with the Institute’s arguments that limits on coordinated political party expenditures violate the First Amendment

15 Years of Super PACs

April 10, 2025   •  By David Keating   •  , ,

Fifteen years after SpeechNow, it's time to recognize its essential wisdom: limiting the money we citizens can spend on political speech means limiting our free ...

Statement of David Keating Before the Kansas House of Representatives Committee on Elections

Kansas
February 3, 2025   •  By IFS Staff   •  , ,

On January 30, 2025, Institute for Free Speech President David Keating gave testimony before the Kansas House of Representatives Committee on Elections on House ...

Challenge to New Maine Campaign Finance Law Advances with Motion for Permanent Injunction

January 21, 2025   •  By IFS Staff   •  , ,

Latest filing argues Question 1's limits “strike at the heart of the First Amendment”

Maine Agrees to Postpone Enforcement of New Campaign Finance Limit

December 20, 2024   •  By IFS Staff   •  , ,

After negotiations with the Institute for Free Speech, Maine will not enforce a 2024 ballot initiative to limit campaign contributions during ongoing litigation

Dinner Table Action, et al. v. Schneider, et al.

December 13, 2024   •  By IFS Staff   •  , ,

A federal lawsuit seeks to stop a 2024 ballot initiative from placing blatantly unconstitutional limits on Mainers’ free speech rights.

Lawsuit Challenges Maine Limit on Political Speech

December 13, 2024   •  By IFS Staff   •  , ,

A recently passed measure would restrict Mainers' fundamental First Amendment political speech rights, contradicting unanimous federal court precedent

Analysis of Sixth Circuit’s NRSC v. FEC Decision

September 9, 2024   •  By Brett Nolan   •  , , ,

The case known as National Republican Senatorial Committee v. Federal Election Commission (NRSC v. FEC) is about the federal limit on “coordinated party expenditures.”

Comments to the Maine Commission on Governmental Ethics and Election Practices

June 20, 2024   •  By IFS Staff   •  , , ,

On June 18, 2024, the Institute for Free Speech provided comments to the Executive Director of  the Maine Commission on Governmental Ethics and Election ...

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