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Campaign Finance

Buckley v. Valeo

Decided: 1976

In brief

Upheld contribution limits but struck down spending limits as violating free speech, treating campaign money as protected expression.

The Court's ruling in depth

Reviewing the post-Watergate Federal Election Campaign Act, the Court upheld individual contribution limits and mandatory disclosure but struck down mandatory spending limits and limits on candidates' use of personal funds. Buckley's basic architecture — money is speech, contributions can be capped to prevent corruption, expenditures generally cannot — has structured American campaign-finance law for half a century and set the stage for Citizens United.

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