District Court issues opinion and order in Holmes, et al. v. FEC

WASHINGTON – The United States District Court for the District of Columbia issued its Opinion and Order yesterday in Holmes, et al. v. FEC (Case 1:14-cv-01243-RMC) denying plaintiffs’ Motion for Order Regarding Certification and ordering that summary judgment be entered in favor of the Commission. Plaintiffs Laura Holmes and Paul Jost had challenged the Federal Election Campaign Act’s $2,600 per-election limit on contributions by individuals to candidates during the 2013-2014 election cycle, claiming that the limit violated their First Amendment rights by preventing them from donating $5,200 to candidates after primary elections and for use solely in connection with candidates’ general-election campaigns.

The Federal Election Commission (FEC) is an independent regulatory agency that administers and enforces federal campaign finance laws. The FEC has jurisdiction over the financing of campaigns for the U.S. House of Representatives, the U.S. Senate, the Presidency and the Vice Presidency. Established in 1975, the FEC is composed of six Commissioners who are nominated by the President and confirmed by the U.S. Senate.