Institute For Free Speech

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…

Campaign Regulations Are Unconstitutional
July 31, 2025   •  By Brad Smith   •  , ,

The government has the power to administer elections, not to control speech about them.

Federal Judge Strikes Down Maine’s Question 1
July 15, 2025   •  By IFS Staff   •  , ,

Judge Wolf grants permanent injunction, ruling that the law's contribution limit and disclosure provision for independent expenditure groups violate First Amendment rights

Moving Oxnard Forward, Inc. v. Lourdes Lopez
July 10, 2025   •  By IFS Staff   •  , ,

The City of Oxnard in California crafted a campaign finance law to silence its most vocal critic, blatantly violating the First Amendment’s protection against ...

California City Law Unconstitutionally Silences Government Critics
July 10, 2025   •  By IFS Staff   •  , ,

Amicus brief details the First Amendment violations of Oxnard’s contribution limits

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   •  , , ,

The nation’s laws have fallen well behind the technological advances of the Internet Age, and, as a result, the privacy of every American has ...

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

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