BY OPENSECRETS.ORG – A federal judge, who reversed the ban on corporations making direct contributions to campaigns, is reconsidering his decision.
U.S. District Judge James Cacheris called the ban on direct corporate campaign contributions unconstitutional last week, and he based his ruling on the U.S. Supreme Court’s Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission decision from January 2010, which made it legal for corporations to make unlimited independent expenditures to support or oppose federal candidates.
But now Cacheris thinks he may have left out a key point when making his decision, according to SCOTUS blog. He has asked lawyers to file arguments based on that point.
Cacheris’ decision last week struck down sections of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002, also known as the McCain-Feingold Act, named after its chief sponsors, Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Russ Feingold (D-Wis.).
It was also the first time the Citizens United case had been applied to direct contributions by corporations. Most political watchers believe the ruling would not stand or be vacated.
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