U.S. Supreme Court
Court to Hear ‘Millionaire Amendment’ Campaign Finance Case
Posted Jan 11, 2008, 02:24 pm CST
By Debra Cassens Weiss
The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to review the so-called millionaire’s amendment, which permits candidates to accept larger campaign contributions when self-financed opponents spend heavily.
Candidate Jack Davis, who lost a congressional race in New York last year despite spending $2.2 million of his own money, claims the amendment violates his First Amendment rights, the Associated Press reports. He also argues that Congress does not have the power to try to equalize campaign resources among candidates, SCOTUSblog reports.
The blog reports the court will consider whether Davis has standing to pursue the case, since his opponent did not take advantage of the amendment.
The case is Davis v. Federal Election Commission (PDF posted by SCOTUSblog).