Election Law @ Moritz

Election Law Litigation

Randall v. Sorrell

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(page last updated October 30, 2007 at 11:39 AM)

Case Information

All Courts: U.S. District Court for the District of Vermont (Case 2:99-cv-146); U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit (Case ); U.S. Supreme Court (Case 04-1528, 04-1530, 04-1697)
Topic(s): Campaign Finance
State: Vermont
Date Filed: August 10, 2000
Date Ended: June 26, 2006

Status: Argued 2/28/06; Opinion entered 6/26/06

Preliminary Analysis: Read Preliminary Analysis
Analysis: Read Detailed Analysis

Summary

Plaintiff, the Vermont Republican State Committee, challenges the constitutionality of Vermont's Act 64. The Committee alleges that the Act limits its First Amendment rights to freedom of speech and association. The Act regulates contributions to and expenditures of candidates for state office and all political organizations participating in Vermont elections. In addition, any expenditure (i.e. advertising) made in relation to the promotion of six or less candidates is counted as part of the contribution limit of the individual candidate(s). On Appeal, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the District Court's ruling that out-of-state contributions are unconstitutional, and reversed the decision that contributions from political parties could not be limited. The Second Circuit Court of Appeals held that expenditures could be limited based on the state's interest in limiting the appearance and actual occurrence of political corruption while also considering the time savings of candidates in procuring contributions; however, the Court remanded the issue for a determination of whether the Act is narrowly tailored to meet these goals. The Supreme Court of the United States has granted certiorari in this case.

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Petitions for Cert

Briefs for Petitioners

Briefs for Respondents

Lower Court Documents

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