McConnell v. FEC, 124 S.Ct. 619 (2003) is a case in which the United States Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of most of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act—better known as "McCain-Feingold" for its authors, senators John McCain and Russell Feingold—thus holding that not all political speech is protected by the First Amendment against infringement by the federal government. Court citation is a standard system used in common law countries such as the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand and Australia to uniquely identify the location of past court cases in special series of books called reporters. ... 2003 (MMIII) is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Supreme Court Building, Washington, D.C. The Supreme Court Building, Washington, D.C., (large image) The Supreme Court of the United States, located in Washington, D.C., is the highest court (see supreme court) in the United States; that is, it has ultimate judicial authority within the United States... Constitutionality is the status of a law, procedure, or act being in accordance with the laws or guidelines contained in a constitution. ... The Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 (BCRA) is U.S. Congressional legislation which regulates the financing of political campaigns. ... John Sidney McCain III (born August 29, 1936) is an American politician. ... Russell Dana Feingold (born March 2, 1953) is an American politician and has been a U.S. senator from Wisconsin since 1993. ... The first ten Amendments to the U.S. Constitution make up the Bill of Rights. ... The first ten Amendments to the U.S. Constitution make up the Bill of Rights. ... A federal government is the common government of a federation. ...

History

The case was brought by groups such as the California State Democratic Party and the National Rifle Association, and individuals including Senator Mitch McConnell (Kentucky), the (Republican) Senate Majority Whip, who argued that the legislation was an unconstitutional infringement on their First Amendment rights. State nickname: The Golden State Official languages English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) Senators Dianne Feinstein (D) Barbara Boxer (D) Area  - Total  - % water Ranked 3rd 410,000 km² 4. ... The Democratic Party is one of the two major political parties in the United States. ... This article concerns the National Rifle Association of the USA. For the UK organisation, see National Rifle Association The National Rifle Association, or NRA, is a 501(c)(4) group for the protection of gun rights in the United States. ... Seal of the Senate The United States Senate is one of the two chambers of the Congress of the United States, the other being the House of Representatives. ... Addison Mitchell McConnell, Jr. ... State nickname: Bluegrass State Official languages English Capital Frankfort Largest city Louisville Governor Ernie Fletcher (R) Senators Mitch McConnell (R) Jim Bunning (R) Area  - Total  - % water Ranked 37th 104,749 km² 1. ... The Republican Party, often called the GOP (for Grand Old Party, although one early citation described it as the Gallant Old Party) [1], is one of the two major political parties in the United States. ... In politics, a whip is a member of a political party in a legislature whose task is to ensure that members of the party attend and vote as the party leadership desires. ... The first ten Amendments to the U.S. Constitution make up the Bill of Rights. ...

In June 2003, the D.C. Court of Appeals issued a ruling on whether the law was constitutional. That ruling never took effect, as the case was immediately appealed to the Supreme Court. June is the sixth month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with a length of 30 days The month is named after the Roman goddess Juno, wife of Jupiter and equivalent to the Greek goddess Hera. ... Court of Appeals is the title of certain appellate courts in various jurisdictions. ... Seal of the Supreme Court Scotus redirects here. ...

Oral arguments

The Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a special session in September 2003. On Wednesday, December 10, 2003, it issued a complicated decision [1], totaling 300 pages in length, that with a 5-4 majority upheld the key provisions of McCain-Feingold. September is the ninth month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of four Gregorian months with 30 days. ... December 10 is the 344th day (345th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Opinions

Justice Breyer, Stevens, O'Connor, Souter, and Ginsburg established the majority for two parts of the Court's opinon: Justice Stephen Breyer Justice Stephen Gerald Breyer (born August 15, 1938) has been an Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court since 1994. ... Justice John Paul Stevens (born April 20, 1920) is an American jurist who has been a U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice since 1975; he is the oldest and longest serving justice currently on the court. ... Justice Sandra Day OConnor Sandra Day OConnor (born March 26, 1930) has been an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States since 1981. ... Justice David Souter Justice David Hackett Souter (born September 17, 1939) has been an Associate Justice of the US Supreme Court since 1990. ... Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Justice Ruth Joan Bader Ginsburg (born March 15, 1933) is a United States jurist. ...

• With respect to Titles I and II of the BCRA, Justices Stevens, O'Connor wrote the opinion of the Court.
• With respect to Title V of the BCRA, Justice Breyer wrote the Court's opinion.

Two dissenting opinions were included in the decision: Justice John Paul Stevens (born April 20, 1920) is an American jurist who has been a U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice since 1975; he is the oldest and longest serving justice currently on the court. ... Justice Sandra Day OConnor Sandra Day OConnor (born March 26, 1930) has been an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States since 1981. ... Justice Stephen Breyer Justice Stephen Gerald Breyer (born August 15, 1938) has been an Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court since 1994. ...

• Justice Stevens, joined by Justices Ginsburg, and Breyer, dissented on one section of the part of the Court's opinion written by the Chief Justice.
• The Chief Justice, joined by Justice Kennedy and Scalia, issued a 15-page dissent against the Court's opinion with respect to Titles I and V of the BCRA.

Three other justices wrote separate opinions on the decision: Justice John Paul Stevens (born April 20, 1920) is an American jurist who has been a U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice since 1975; he is the oldest and longest serving justice currently on the court. ... Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Justice Ruth Joan Bader Ginsburg (born March 15, 1933) is a United States jurist. ... Justice Stephen Breyer Justice Stephen Gerald Breyer (born August 15, 1938) has been an Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court since 1994. ... Justice Anthony Kennedy For other people of the same name, see Anthony Kennedy (disambiguation). ... Justice Antonin Scalia Justice Antonin Scalia (born March 11, 1936) (Sometimes known by the nickname Nino) has been a U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice since 1986. ...

• Justice Kennedy, joined by the Chief Justice, issued a 68-page opinion and appendix, noting that BCRA forces "speakers to abandon their own preference for speaking through parties and organizations."
• Justice Thomas issued a separate 25-page opinion noting that the Court was upholding the "most significant abridgment of the freedoms of speech and association since the Civil War."
• Justice Scalia issued a separate 19-page opinion, a "few words of [his] own," because of the "extraordinary importance" of the cases.

Justice Anthony Kennedy For other people of the same name, see Anthony Kennedy (disambiguation). ... Justice Clarence Thomas Justice Clarence Thomas (born June 23, 1948) has been an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States since 1991. ... The examples and perspective in this article do not represent a worldwide view. ... Freedom of association is the right enjoyed by free adults to mutually choose their associates for whatever purposes they see fit. ... A civil war is a war in which the competing parties are segments of the same country or empire. ... Justice Antonin Scalia Justice Antonin Scalia (born March 11, 1936) (Sometimes known by the nickname Nino) has been a U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice since 1986. ...

External links

• Text of decision from Findlaw.com