Institute For Free Speech

Contribution Limits: Caps on First Amendment Activity
January 1, 2018  •  By IFS Staff  •    •  

Contribution limits are monetary restrictions on the amount an individual or group can donate to a political actor – usually a candidate, political party, or political action committee. The Supreme Court first allowed limits on contributions in Buckley v. Valeo. The Court’s ruling acknowledged that contribution limits were a restriction on First Amendment activity, but allowed them on the theory…

Campaign Finance Regulations Increase the Influence of Super PACs
August 26, 2016   •  By Joe Albanese   •  , ,

Bloomberg BNA recently covered a report highlighting a developing trend in campaign finance this election cycle. The report, by the Campaign Finance Institute (CFI), ...

Do State Campaign Finance Reforms Increase Trust and Confidence in State Government?
March 30, 2016   •  By Matt Nese   •  , , ,

The political and legal battle over campaign finance reform hinges on differing views about the importance of such regulations for preserving and enhancing the integrity ...

Comments to the SEC on MSRB and FINRA Pay-to-Play Rules, File No. SR-MSRB-2015-14, File No. SR-FINRA-2015-056
January 20, 2016   •  By David Keating   •  ,

For the reasons discussed below, CCP urges the Commission to reject the MSRB and FINRA proposals under consideration here because they impermissibly restrict core ...

Coalition Letter in Support of “Fair Treatment for All Gifts Act” (H.R. 1104) in Tax Extenders Legislation
December 14, 2015   •  By Matt Nese   •  , ,

The undersigned civil liberties, free expression, and nonprofit advocacy groups and attorneys who represent advocacy organizations have a wide variety of views on the ...

An Open Letter to Conservatives: Why Party Coordinated Limits Should Be Repealed
December 9, 2015   •  By David Keating   •  , ,

Recently some members of the Freedom Caucus in Congress and other conservative leaders have expressed opposition to a proposal by Senate Majority Leader Mitch ...

Comments to FEC on Notice 2015-10: Rulemaking Petition: Contributions From Corporations and Other Organizations to Political Committees
October 27, 2015   •  By Allen Dickerson   •  , , ,

Make Your Laws attempts to co-opt the established moral disapproval of a certain type of criminal behavior—money laundering—when it speaks of “contribution laundering.” It ...

Comments to Arizona Citizens Clean Elections Commission Regarding Revised Draft Rules; Ariz. Admin. Code R2-20-109(F)
August 18, 2015   •  By Eric Wang   •  , , ,

Those rules, if adopted, would make a number of unlawful changes to Ariz. Admin. Code R2-20-109(F). The latest version of the proposal appears either ...

Political Spending Isn’t Choking Out Competition. Campaign Finance Regulations Are.
August 3, 2015   •  By Brian Walsh   •  ,

Inequality is the word of the moment. You can’t go anywhere without hearing it thrown around. Usually, this word evokes images of the discrepancy ...

The Regulation of Political Finance and Corruption
July 1, 2015   •  By Matt Nese   •  ,

Using the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA) database on political finance regulations for 82 countries, we found that a contribution limits index ...

Comments on the Federal Election Commission’s “Public Forum on Women in Politics”
May 12, 2015   •  By David Keating   •  , ,

The Center for Competitive Politics[1] enthusiastically supports efforts to encourage greater participation in political campaigns. Actions to make it easier for citizens to run ...

Load more

Get the Latest Updates

© 2025 Institute for Free Speech | 1150 Connecticut Avenue, NW | Suite 801 | Washington, DC 20036 | 202-301-3300

The word mark Institute for Free Speech® and its logo of a stylized lantern with a flame are federally registered service marks and are owned by the Institute for Free Speech.