The National Republican Senatorial Committee expressed confidence following today’s Supreme Court oral arguments in National Republican Senatorial Committee, et al., v. FEC, a case examining whether federal limits on how much political parties can spend in coordination with their candidates violate the First Amendment.
“Restricting a party committee’s ability to support its own candidates is unconstitutional and a direct violation of the First Amendment,” said NRSC General Counsel Blake Murphy. “We’re grateful for the Court’s consideration and confident the Justices will rule in favor of protecting freedom of speech and association.”
Background
- Noel Francisco, who served as Solicitor General of the United States from 2017-2020 in the first Trump administration and clerked for Justice Scalia, led arguments on behalf of the NRSC today.
- In June, following news the Supreme Court was adding National Republican Senatorial Committee, et al., v. FEC to their docket, NRSC Chairman Tim Scott (R-SC) and NRCC Chairman Richard Hudson (R-NC) said: “The government should not restrict a party committee’s support for its own candidates. These coordinated expenditure limits violate the First Amendment, and we appreciate the Court’s decision to hear our case. Coordinated spending continues to be a critical part of winning campaigns, and the NRSC and NRCC will ensure we are in the strongest possible position to win in 2026 and beyond.”
- In May, the Department of Justice notified the Supreme Court that it agreed with the NRSC and NRCC and would not defend the challenged limits.
- Coordinated party expenditure limits for 2025 range from $127,200 to $3,946,100 for Senate races, depending on each state’s voting age population. For House nominees in states with only one representative, the limit is $127,200; and for House nominees in all other states, the limit is $63,600.
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