{
  "id": "RS21693",
  "type": "CRS Report",
  "typeId": "REPORTS",
  "number": "RS21693",
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  "source": "EveryCRSReport.com, University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department",
  "versions": [
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      "source": "EveryCRSReport.com",
      "id": 341958,
      "date": "2008-11-28",
      "retrieved": "2016-04-07T03:00:19.218625",
      "title": "Campaign Finance Law: A Brief Overview of the Supreme Court Ruling in McConnell v. FEC",
      "summary": "McConnell v. FEC, a 2003 U.S. Supreme Court decision, upheld the constitutionality of key portions of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 (BCRA) against facial challenges. (BCRA, which amended the Federal Election Campaign Act [FECA], codified at 2 U.S.C. \u00a7 431 et seq., is also known as the McCain-Feingold campaign finance reform law). A 5 to 4 majority of the Court upheld restrictions on the raising and spending of previously unregulated political party soft money, and a prohibition on corporations and labor unions using treasury funds to finance \u201celectioneering communications,\u201d requiring that such ads may only be paid for with corporate and labor union political action committee (PAC) funds. The Court also invalidated a requirement that parties choose between making independent expenditures or coordinated expenditures on behalf of a candidate, and a prohibition on minors age 17 and under making campaign contributions. A 2007 Supreme Court decision, FEC v. Wisconsin Right to Life, Inc. (WRTL II), while not expressly overruling McConnell, narrowed the application of BCRA. Finding that the BCRA \u201celectioneering communications\u201d provision was unconstitutional as applied to ads that Wisconsin Right to Life, Inc., sought to run, the Court in WRTL II held that advertisements that may reasonably be interpreted as something other than as an appeal to vote for or against a specific candidate cannot be regulated. For further discussion of WRTL II, see CRS Report RS22687, The Constitutionality of Regulating Political Advertisements: An Analysis of Federal Election Commission v. Wisconsin Right to Life, Inc., by L. Paige Whitaker.",
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    {
      "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department",
      "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc821572/",
      "id": "RS21693_2003Dec19",
      "date": "2003-12-19",
      "retrieved": "2016-03-19T13:57:26",
      "title": "Campaign Finance Law: The Supreme Court Upholds Key Provisions of BCRA in McConnell v. FEC",
      "summary": "This report discusses the Supreme Court's decision in McConnell v. FEC. The court upheld against facial constitutional challenges key portions of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 (BCRA), (P.L. 107-155, commonly known as the McCain-Feingold or Shays-Meehan campaign finance reform law).",
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      "topics": [
        {
          "source": "LIV",
          "id": "Elections",
          "name": "Elections"
        },
        {
          "source": "LIV",
          "id": "Campaign finance reform -- Law and legislation",
          "name": "Campaign finance reform -- Law and legislation"
        },
        {
          "source": "LIV",
          "id": "Law",
          "name": "Law"
        },
        {
          "source": "LIV",
          "id": "Supreme Court",
          "name": "Supreme Court"
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  "topics": [
    "Constitutional Questions"
  ]
}