WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court hears oral argument Wednesday in Sen. Ted Cruz’s challenge to a relatively obscure campaign finance provision, in another case that pits the free speech rights of candidates against a law meant to limit the influence of money in politics.
The Texas Republican’s lawsuit brings the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act — also known as the McCain-Feingold law for its principal sponsors, the late Sen. John McCain and former Sen. Russ Feingold — back to the high court, which has been sharply divided along ideological lines over the past two decades as it struck down as unconstitutional other provisions of that major 2002 law.
That includes the conservative majority’s 5-4 decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission in 2010, which is criticized as opening the door to large political action groups spending unlimited amounts on elections from undisclosed sources.
