Supreme Court Removes Limits on Party Spending in Federal Elections

The Supreme Court ruled on June 30, 2026, to eliminate restrictions on the amount political parties can spend in coordination with candidates for Congress and the presidency. This decision overturned a federal election law that had been in place for over 50 years. The ruling was influenced by a lawsuit initiated by Republican committees, including Vice President JD Vance, and marks a continuation of the court's trend following the 2010 Citizens United decision, which allowed for unlimited independent spending in federal elections. Previously, the Supreme Court upheld these spending limits in 2001, which were intended to prevent large donors from bypassing individual contribution caps by donating unlimited amounts to parties. The Federal Election Commission, after the second term of President Donald Trump, ceased defending the law and supported its repeal. The decision reflects ongoing ideological divisions within the court regarding campaign finance, with dissenting justices expressing concern over the implications for congressional authority. In the previous year, coordinated party spending for Senate races varied significantly, with amounts ranging from $127,200 in smaller states to nearly $4 million in California. Justice Sonia Sotomayor, a dissenter in previous campaign finance cases, criticized the court's interference with congressional design, while Justice Samuel Alito defended the ruling as a means to level the playing field for spending rights.