Randall v. Sorrell

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Randall v. Sorrell
U.S. LEXIS 5161; 74 U.S.L.W. 4435; 19 Fla. L. Weekly Fed. S 354
Case history
PriorJudgment for defendant, sub nom. Landell v. Sorrell, 118 F.Supp.2d 459 (D. Vt. 2001); affirmed in part, vacated in part, 382 F.3d 91 (2d Cir. 2002); rehearing denied, 2005 U.S. App. LEXIS 5884 (2d Cir. Apr. 11, 2005); amended, 406 F.3d 159 (2d Cir. 2005); cert. granted, sub nom. Randall v. Sorrell, 545 U.S. 1165 (2005).
Holding
Vermont's campaign finance restrictions violated the First Amendment. Second Circuit reversed and remanded.
Court membership
Chief Justice
John Roberts
Associate Justices
John P. Stevens · Antonin Scalia
Anthony Kennedy · David Souter
Clarence Thomas · Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Stephen Breyer · Samuel Alito
Case opinions
PluralityBreyer, joined by Roberts; Alito (all but Parts II–B–1 and II–B–2)
ConcurrenceAlito (in part)
ConcurrenceKennedy (in judgment)
ConcurrenceThomas (in judgment), joined by Scalia
DissentStevens
DissentSouter, joined by Ginsburg; Stevens (Parts II and III)
Laws applied
U.S. Const. amend. I

Randall v. Sorrell, 548 U.S. 230 (2006), is a decision by the

First Amendment right to free speech.[1] A key issue in the case was the 1976 case Buckley v. Valeo,[2]
which many justices felt needed to be revisited.

Opinion of the Court

The 6–3 ruling dealt with three individual issues before the court.[3]

The State of Vermont argued that new circumstances and experiences since Buckley v. Valeo was decided in 1976 suggested that the law should be upheld as Constitutional.

The Supreme Court ruled against the state of Vermont on all three issues, reaffirming both Buckley and Colorado Republican Federal Campaign Committee and striking down the law as unconstitutional.[4] Randall is particularly important as the first case in which the Supreme Court has struck down a contribution limit as unconstitutionally low.

See also

Further reading

  • Hasen, Richard L. (2006). "The Newer Incoherence: Competition, Social Science, and Balancing in Campaign Finance Law After Randall v. Sorrell" (PDF). Ohio State Law Journal. 68 (3): 849–889.

References

External links