Adams v. Fed. Election Comm'n

No. 02-cv-877-KLH-CKK-RJL (D. D.C. filed, Nov. 6, 2002) ; Clearinghouse Number: 55124

Description

Complaint Alleges That Sections of Bipartisan Campaign Finance Reform Act Amount to Wealth Discrimination Violating Equal Protection Guarantee

Abstract

Plaintiffs—nonwealthy voters and public interest organizations—filed an action challenging Sections 304, 307, and 319 of the Bipartisan Campaign Finance Reform Act. Plaintiffs seek to enjoin the Federal Election Commission from enforcing those provisions that radically increase the amount of hard money that individuals may contribute to federal election campaigns. Plaintiffs allege that (1) the hard-money-limit increases from $1,000 to $2,000 deny candidates and voters without wealth their right to participate in the electoral process on an equal and meaningful basis; (2) the highest donors come disproportionately from the ranks of corporate management and wealthy communities and are overwhelmingly white and male; (3) the increases will result in more donations to federal campaigns by the elite pool of individual donors, and candidates with access to wealthy donors can multiply their fund-raising advantage by encouraging “the well-connected” donors to solicit or facilitate maximum contributions from business associates, friends, and family members; and (4) the increases benefit incumbent candidates facing candidates without access to wealth, and such wealth discrimination should be subjected to strict scrutiny just as the mandatory filing fee and the poll tax were.

Additional Information

Attorney Information
Plaintiffs represented by David A. Wilson, Hale and Door LLP, 1455 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, 10th Floor, Washington, DC 20004 (202.942.8400)
Docket Date
2002-11-06 00:00:00+00:00

Files

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