Supreme Court Upholds Campaign Finance Soft Money Ban-Clean election advocates seek more comprehensive reforms

Interview with Nick Nyhart, executive director of Public Campaign, conducted by Melinda Tuhus

On Dec. 10, the U.S. Supreme Court voted 5 to 4 to uphold all major provisions of the bipartisan campaign reform law originally sponsored by Senators John McCain, R-Ariz., and Russell Feingold, D-Wis. The law, which bans so-called "soft money" raised by political parties as opposed to individual candidates, has been in effect for a year while appeals made their way through the courts. Opponents of the law formed an unusual coalition that included both the National Rifle Association and the American Civil Liberties Union. They claimed that raising and spending unlimited amounts of cash should be protected as a form of free speech, but the court disagreed.

Still perfectly legal are so-called hard money contributions, those made directly to candidates. In fact, the McCain-Feingold Act raised the limits on allowable hard money donations.

Between The Lines' Melinda Tuhus spoke with Nick Nyhart, executive director of Public Campaign, an organization dedicated to reducing the influence of private money on electoral politics. He says that while the Supreme Court decision is a limited victory, it's a victory nonetheless. Nyhart describes his group's efforts for more comprehensive reforms including the establishment of a publicly-funded clean-money campaign finance system for candidates competing at the state level.

For more information, call the Public Campaign at (202) 293-0222 or visit their website at www.publiccampaign.org

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