Supreme Court Sides With Ted Cruz In Campaign Finance Case

The Supreme Court ruled Monday in favor of Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) in a campaign finance case concerning how campaigns can repay candidates’ loans, in a 6-3 decision that critics warn could make it easier to bribe political candidates.

Cruz sued the Federal Election Committee regarding a rule that limits how political campaigns can reimburse candidates for loans they make to their own campaign, allowing them to repay up to $250,000 in loans at any time, and more than that only if they’re repaid within 20 days post-election.

Cruz made a $260,000 loan to his campaign right before the election in 2018 and $10,000 could not be repaid, so Cruz sued to challenge the underlying regulation, arguing it infringed on his First Amendment rights.

The court ruled that the limitation on repaying loans “burdens core political speech without proper justification,” saying if politicians can’t be fully reimbursed by their campaigns, it will dissuade them from loaning money in the first place.