Campaign Finance Law After Oral Argument in NRSC v. FEC: Reactions, Predictions and Context

Joint Sponsor: ABA Standing Committee on Election Law

Leaders and experts of the ABA’s Standing Committee on Election Law and Civil Rights and Social Justice Section will discuss the recent oral argument in National Republican Senatorial Committee v. Federal Election Commission. What are the short-term and long-term implications not just for coordinated party expenditures, but for the independent expenditures and campaign finance law generally.

Fifteen years and several election cycles after Citizens United, and in the context of a period of deregulation, what do the arguments and court’s questioning say about the future of money in politics? Will the court overturn its prior decision upholding as constitutional under the First Amendment limits on candidate coordinated expenditures by political parties, as enacted under the Federal Election Campaign Act? If so, what will be the practical impact on contributors? Our panel is well qualified to speculate on these questions and the potential outcome of the Supreme Court’s deliberations. The panel includes co-authors of amicus briefs from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and Brennan Center and viewpoints from a leading academic and campaign finance practitioners.


Speakers:
Caleb P. Burns - Partner, Wiley Rein LLP; Member, ABA Standing Committee on Election Law; Counsel of Record for Amicus Curiae in Support of Petitioners
Paul M. Smith – Chair-Elect, ABA Section of Civil Rights and Social Justice; Former Senior Vice President, Campaign Legal Center; Professor from Practice, Georgetown University Law Center
Daniel I. Weiner – Director, Elections & Government, Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law; Counsel for Amicus Curiae in Support of Respondents

Moderator:
Jason D. Kaune (Moderator) – Senior Partner, Nielsen Merksamer; Former Chair and CRSJ Liaison, ABA Standing Committee on Election Law


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