This morning in McCutcheon v. Federal Election Commission, the U.S. Supreme Court invalidated the “aggregate” contribution limits in federal campaign finance law. Under the ruling, major donors will be permitted to contribute greater aggregate sums to candidates, parties, and PACs. Because the “base” contribution limits survive the opinion, however, federal elections will still rely heavily on expenditures from outside organizations like super PACs and 501(c)(4)s.

Issue in the Lawsuit -

McCutcheon did not concern the “base” contribution limits governing isolated donations to federal candidates, federal PACs, or political party organizations. Rather, McCutcheon concerned the “aggregate” contribution limits governing amounts transferred from a single donor to combinations of candidates, federal PACs, and political party organizations.