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  • Press Release

Court of Appeals Issues Opinion in Holmes v. FEC

April 26, 2016

WASHINGTON — A panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit today issued an Opinion, Order and Per Curiam Judgment in Holmes, et al. v. FEC (USCA Case 15-5120), a case concerning a challenge to the separate limits on contributions for each election, including primary and general elections, under the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971, as amended. 

The panel affirmed a District Court judgment declining to certify the plaintiffs’ Fifth Amendment equal protection challenge. The panel also reversed the District Court’s decision not to certify the plaintiffs’ First Amendment challenge and to grant summary judgment to the Commission. The panel remanded the case to the District Court to certify the First Amendment question to the Court of Appeals en banc.

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.

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