New Campaign Finance Law Challenged in Court
Senator McConnell Files Complaint
Today, Wednesday, March 27, 2002, Senator Mitch McConnell filed a Complaint in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia challenging the constitutionality of numerous provisions in the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002. According to the Complaint, the Act, among other things, directly regulates core political speech, unconstitutionally favors some speakers over others, and imposes impermissible burdens on the activities of political parties, officeholders, candidates, and tax-exempt organizations.
In addition to Jan Baran of Wiley Rein & Fielding, other attorneys leading Senator McConnell's effort to protect the First Amendment rights of all Americans include Judge Kenneth Starr, Stanford Law School Dean Kathleen M. Sullivan, and First Amendment expert Floyd Abrams.
The National Rifle Association also filed a separate constitutional challenge to restrictions on political speech and activity contained in the Act.
Documents related to this litigation may be accessed on the Stanford Law School website at http://lawschool.stanford.edu/library/campaignfinance/.
