McConnell v. Federal Election Commission

Congress passed the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRA) in 2002 to address concerns about campaign finance. Title I restricted political parties' use of "soft money," Title II restricted corporate and union funding of "electioneering communications" and independent expenditures, Title III addressed candidates' access to discounted broadcast rates, Title IV barred campaign contributions by people under 17, and Title V required broadcasters to keep records of political-ad requests. Senator Mitch McConnell (plaintiff) sued the Federal Election Commission (FEC) (defendant), arguing the whole statute violated the First Amendment. A three-judge panel upheld some provisions and struck others, and the Supreme Court granted review.