Washington, D.C.
A federal appeals court this week struck down parts of the new campaign finance law designed to reduce the influence of money in politics. The law’s cornerstone is a ban on so-called soft-money political contributions made by corporations and unions to political parties. The court ruled 2 to 1 that parties should be free to raise soft money, provided they use it for voter registration and other party-building efforts, rather than to support candidates. The judges upheld some restrictions on political advertisements, but struck down a ban on election-time ads by special interest groups as a violation of free speech. The Supreme Court will review the rulings, and determine what rules will govern the 2004 presidential campaign.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Music reviews: Bon Iver, Valerie June, and The WaterboysFeature "Sable, Fable," "Owls, Omens, and Oracles," "Life, Death, and Dennis Hopper"
-
Are bonds worth investing in?the explainer They can diversify your portfolio and tend to be a safer investment than stocks
-
Elon has his 'Legion.' How will Republicans encourage other Americans to have babies?Today's Big Question The pronatalist movement finds itself in power
