‘SORDID BARGAINS’

Supreme Court Sides With Ted Cruz in Campaign Loan Dispute

The ruling strikes down part of an anti-corruption measure.

In a 6-3 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of Texas Sen. Ted Cruz (R) by striking down part of a campaign finance law aimed at combatting corruption. The law mandated that candidates who give personal loans to their campaigns can only be reimbursed up to $250,000 with funds raised after elections. The ruling, authored by Chief Justice Roberts, found that this law violated free speech and “burdens core political speech without proper justification.” Justice Elena Kagan wrote in the dissenting opinion, “In striking down the law today, the court greenlights all the sordid bargains Congress thought right to stop.” She added, “The politician is happy; the donors are happy. The only loser is the public. It inevitably suffers from government corruption.” Cruz sued the Federal Election Commission over the law—which was passed with bipartisan approval in 2002—after loaning his campaign $260,000 during his race against Democrat Beto O’Rourke.