Other Campaign Spending Cases
For the past decade, NVRI has been involved in various cases defending state and local efforts to pass mandatory campaign spending limits. Since the Supreme Court's Buckley ruling in 1976, only four jurisdictions have attempted to implement these limits. The Ohio Supreme Court sought limits to protect the integrity of judicial elections in that state. The City of Cincinnati sought limits for council elections. Both of those efforts were ruled unconstitutional by the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals. Albuquerque, which had passed spending limits prior to the Buckley decision, enforced those limits for two decades, to great affect and with strong popular support. Nonetheless, that law was also struck down, by a 2004 ruling of the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals. The Vermont law is the only remaining spending limits law in the country.
NVRI has supported the University of Montana, which has mandatory spending limits for elections to its student council. Because universities have pedagogical interests that permit limits, that policy still stands, although it has been appealed.
Following are links to information about these efforts.
Albuquerque's Municipal Elections: Homans v. City of Albuquerque & Rue v. City of Albuquerque
Cincinnati's City Council Elections: Kruse v. City of Cincinnati
Ohio's Judicial Elections: Suster v. Marshall
University of Montana Student Government Elections: Flint v. Dennison
- Overview of the case
- District of Montana Opinion