Legal Ethics and Professional Responsibility Commons^™

Federal Election Commission V. Ted Cruz For Senate: How The Supreme Court Is Clearing The Way For Corruption In Politics, Sarah B. Gleason

Loyola University Chicago Law Journal

Political speech lies at the heart of the First Amendment. Candidates for office have the constitutional right to raise funds to express their viewpoints, run campaigns, and associate with their supporters. However, leaving this flow of money unchecked creates a risk that candidates will sell the promise of political favors for increased monetary support from voters. Congress passed Section 304 of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act to prevent the risk of quid pro quo corruption, which is heightened when donors contribute money to candidates after the election for the sole purpose of retiring the candidates’ personal loans. Section 304 restricted …