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…

American Democracy and the Actuality of Corruption

January 23, 2026   •  By Jeff Milyo   •  , , ,

Buckley v. Valeo confines campaign finance regulation to actual corruption, rather than amorphous claims about “undue influence.”

Buckley v. Valeo is Not What Ails American Democracy

January 22, 2026   •  By Ilya Somin   •  , , ,

Those who blame Buckley for our current problems are wrong to do so. A contrary decision would have made things worse.

Expert Panel: A Discussion of the Historic Buckley v. Valeo Decision

January 22, 2026   •  By IFS Staff   •  , , ,

The Institute for Free Speech held a virtual panel with Bradley A. Smith, Joel Gora, and Eugene Volokh to reflect on the history of ...

The Enduring Legacy of Buckley v. Valeo

January 21, 2026   •  By Floyd Abrams   •  , , ,

Despite sustained criticism from all sides, Buckley's core principle persists: government cannot ration political speech.

The Buckley Principles

January 20, 2026   •  By Lee Goodman   •  , , ,

The core First Amendment principles of Buckley v. Valeo endure after fifty years.

Buckley v. Valeo: A Retrospective Series

January 20, 2026   •  By David Keating   •  , , ,

Experts and scholars reflect on Buckley’s legacy on the decision’s fiftieth anniversary

Free Speech Arguments – Oral Arguments in the Landmark Case That Saved Democracy (Buckley v. Valeo, 1976)

January 20, 2026   •  By IFS Staff   •  , , ,

James L. Buckley, et al. v. Francis R. Valeo, Secretary of the United States Senate, et al. argued before the Supreme Court of the United ...

Setting the record straight on campaign finance

January 19, 2026   •  By Brad Smith   •  , ,

A response to "How billionaires took over American politics"

Institute for Free Speech Encouraged by Supreme Court’s Skeptical Reception of Restrictions on Free Political Speech

December 9, 2025   •  By IFS Staff   •  , , ,

Today’s Supreme Court oral argument in NRSC v. FEC ably illustrated that limits on coordinated political party expenditures violate the First Amendment

Free Speech Arguments – Can Congress Limit Coordination Between a Party and Its Candidates? (National Republican Senatorial Committee, et al. v. Federal Election Commission, et al.)

December 9, 2025   •  By IFS Staff   •  , , ,

National Republican Senatorial Committee, et al. v. Federal Election Commission, et al. argued before the Supreme Court of the United States on December 9, 2025.

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