Randall v. Sorrell

SCOTUSCase
Litigants=Randall v. Sorrell
ArgueDate=February 28
ArgueYear=2006
DecideDate=June 26
DecideYear=2006
FullName=Neil Randall, et al. v. William H. Sorrell, et al.
Docket=04-1528
Docket2=04-1530
Docket3=04-1697
USVol=548
USPage=230
Citation=126 S. Ct. 2479; 165 L. Ed. 2d 482; 2006 U.S. LEXIS 5161; 74 U.S.L.W. 4435; 19 Fla. L. Weekly Fed. S 354
Prior=Judgment 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", 126 S.Ct. 35 (2005)
Subsequent=
Holding=Vermont's campaign finance restrictions violated the First Amendment. Second Circuit Court of Appeals reversed and remanded.
SCOTUS=2006-2007
Plurality=Breyer
JoinPlurality=Roberts; Alito (only parts I, II-B-3, III, IV)
Concurrence=Kennedy
Concurrence2=Thomas
JoinConcurrence2=Scalia
Concurrence3=Alito
Dissent=Stevens
Dissent2=Souter
JoinDissent2=Ginsberg; Stevens (only parts II, III)
LawsApplied=U.S. Const. amend. I

"Randall v. Sorrell", 548 U.S. 230 (2006), is a decision by the Supreme Court of the United States involving a Vermont law which placed a cap on financial donations made to politicians. The court ruled that Vermont's law, the strictest in the nation, unconstitutionally hindered the citizens' First Amendment right to free speech. A key issue in the case was the 1976 case "Buckley v. Valeo", which many justices felt needed to be revisited.

Issue

The 6-3 ruling dealt with three individual issues before the court. [ [http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/faclibrary/case.aspx?case=Randall_v_Sorrell First Amendment Library - Case ] ]

*Did Vermont's law violate the First Amendment, Fourteenth Amendment, or the Supreme Court ruling in Buckley v. Valeo?
*Did Vermont violate the right of independent expenditures of political parties in accordance with the aforementioned amendments and the Supreme Court ruling in "Colorado Republican Federal Campaign Committee v. FEC"?
*Did Vermont's contribution limits, which are the lowest in the country, which allow only a single maximum contribution over a two-year election cycle, and which prohibit state political parties from contributing more than $400 to their gubernatorial candidate, fall below an acceptable constitutional threshold and should be struck down?

The case, which failed in the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals, was granted certiorari on September 27, 2005.

ee all

* List of United States Supreme Court cases, volume 548

Notes