ACLU Says Court Found Constitutional Flaws In McCain-Feingold Campaign Finance Law

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Media@dcaclu.org

WASHINGTON -- The American Civil Liberties Union today said that a long-awaited decision by a special three-judge panel found serious constitutional flaws with the McCain-Feingold campaign finance legislation.

"The court today recognized that there are serious constitutional issues that arise whenever the government tries to limit the ability of the American public to speak about candidates and their policy stances before, after and especially during the election season when the public is paying the most attention," said Anthony Romero, ACLU Executive Director.

The United States Supreme Court is expected to quickly hear an appeal of today's ruling.

"We know that the fate of this legislation is not yet settled," said Steven R. Shapiro, ACLU Legal Director. "The Supreme Court must ultimately decide whether today's ruling will stand, but we are confident that the Justices will continue to recognize - as they have in the past - the right of the American public to discuss important policy issues during election time, when doing so matters most."