Supreme Court strikes down post-Watergate limits on party-to-candidate coordinated spending, 6-3

Justice Kavanaugh's majority in NRSC v. FEC voids the 1974 coordinated-expenditure caps that had capped how much national party committees could spend alongside individual candidates, overruling Colorado II and removing the last major limit on party money in federal elections

Summary

The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 on June 30 in NRSC v. FEC to strike down federal limits on how much national party committees can spend in coordination with individual candidates, ending a post-Watergate-era campaign finance restriction that had stood since 1974. Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote for the conservative majority, finding the caps in 52 U.S.C. § 30116 violate the First Amendment. The decision overrules FEC v. Colorado Republican Federal Campaign Committee (2001), which had upheld the limits. The three liberal justices dissented, warning the ruling would "fundamentally reshape the campaign finance regime" and create "obvious" corruption potential.

Why it matters

Political parties can now spend unlimited sums coordinating directly with Senate and House candidates, effectively turning them into extensions of candidate campaigns. The ruling completes a sequence of First Amendment decisions stretching from Citizens United to today that has dismantled most federal campaign finance architecture. It lands four months before the 2026 midterms.

各地视角 · 3

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NPR · United States · en · 2026年6月30日 14:28Z

NPR reported the 6-3 ruling striking the coordinated expenditure caps under § 30116, with Kavanaugh writing for the majority and the three liberal justices dissenting that the decision would 'fundamentally reshape the campaign finance regime' with 'obvious' corruption potential.

“The Supreme Court struck down limits on how much political parties may raise and spend on candidates.”

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NBC News · United States · en

NBC News noted the ruling overrules Colorado II and removes coordination limits from the Senate, House, and national party committees, in a decision the dissent said would authorize unlimited coordinated spending between parties and candidates.

“The court divided 6-3 along ideological lines in finding that the caps on what are called coordinated party expenditures violate the First Amendment.”

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CBS News · United States · en

CBS News described the ruling as eliminating the final major federal cap on how much national party committees can spend in coordination with candidates, with the challenge originally brought by JD Vance and NRSC before the 2024 election cycle.

“Supreme Court strikes down coordinated campaign spending limits.”

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