U.S. Supreme Court Recess Ends

The U.S. Supreme Court ‘s winter recess ended with a bang this week, with opinions on a range of topics and the court agreeing to take on another campaign finance case.

As veteran reporter Tony Mauro recounted for the National Law Journal, Chief Justice John Roberts went to the press room on Tuesday to tell any reporters who had scheduled a lunch that day that they “might want to push it back.”

The high court issued opinions on international custody disputes, police searches and antitrust matters, but the biggest news was the court’s accepting McCutcheon v. Federal Election Commission for review. The case challenges aggregate limits on contributions to political candidates and committees, restrictions allowed under the court’s reasoning in the 1976 Buckley v. Valeo decision.

Oft-quoted election law expert Richard Hasen told the Times: “In Citizens United, the court resisted tinkering with the rules for contribution limits. This could be the start of chipping away at contribution limits.”