The Supreme Court ruled Tuesday morning that federal limitations on funding coordination between political parties and candidates violates the first amendment.
In a 6-3 decision on National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) v. Federal Election Commission (FECA) the court ruled that “FECA’s political-party coordinated-expenditure limits violate the First Amendment.”
The court ruled that “political parties—as well as candidates, private individuals, and outside groups—may make unlimited independent expenditures during political campaigns.”
“FECA’s limits impair the party’s traditional forms of communication such as advertisements; preclude parties from amplifying the voice of their adherents; impose additional monetary costs and burdens on political parties; and inflict a stifling effect on the ability of the party to do what it exists to do.” (RELATED: Supreme Court Rules Trump Can Fire Executive Officials)
The ruling overrules Federal Election Commission v. Colorado Republican Federal Campaign Committee (Colorado II), which decided that most of the FECA limits were constitutional. Tuesday’s opinion wrote Colorado II “has been rejected by subsequent cases and is no longer good law in light of the court’s more recent precedents. To the extent that Colorado II has retained any vitality, it is now overruled.”
Justice Brett Kavanaugh delivered the opinion, joined by Justices John Roberts, Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch, and Amy Coney Barrett. Justice Elena Kagan filed the dissenting opinion, joined by Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson.
🚨 In a 6–3 vote, the Supreme Court struck down the federal limits on how much political parties may spend in coordination with their own candidates, ruling the restrictions violate the First Amendment and overruling its 2001 decision in Colorado Republican II. pic.twitter.com/Q4PDmgoRYz
— SCOTUS Wire (@scotus_wire) June 30, 2026
“This is a decisive First Amendment victory and a major win for the integrity of our political system,” the NRSC said in a statement. “The Supreme Court made clear that the federal government has no authority to place arbitrary limits on how political parties support the candidates they nominate. By striking down these unconstitutional caps on coordinated spending, the Court has restored core political speech and ensured parties can compete on a level playing field. We are ready to fully support our candidates and put them in the strongest possible position to win in 2026 and beyond.”
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