Document ID: ./input/supremecourt_opinions/opinions/13pdf/12-536_e1pf.pdf
Page Number: 10.0

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MCCUTCHEON v. FEDERAL ELECTION COMM’N 

Opinion of ROBERTS, C. J. 

and  general  elections);  $32,400  per  year  to  a  national
party committee;1 $10,000 per year to a state or local party 
committee;  and  $5,000  per  year  to  a  political  action  com-
mittee, or “PAC.”  2 U. S. C. §441a(a)(1); 78 Fed. Reg. 8532 
(2013).2    A  national  committee,  state  or  local  party  com-
mittee, or multicandidate PAC may in turn contribute up 
to $5,000 per election to a candidate.  §441a(a)(2).3 

The  base  limits  apply  with  equal  force  to  contributions
that  are  “in  any  way  earmarked  or  otherwise  directed
through  an  intermediary  or  conduit”  to  a  candidate. 
§441a(a)(8).  If,  for  example,  a  donor  gives  money  to  a 
party  committee  but  directs  the  party  committee  to  pass 
the contribution along to a particular candidate, then the 
transaction  is  treated  as  a  contribution  from  the  original 
donor to the specified candidate.

For the 2013–2014 election cycle, the aggregate limits in 
BCRA permit an individual to contribute a total of $48,600 
to federal candidates and a total of $74,600 to other politi-
cal  committees.  Of  that  $74,600,  only  $48,600  may  be
contributed  to  state  or  local  party  committees  and  PACs, 

—————— 

1 There are six authorized national party committees: the Republican
National Committee, the Democratic National Committee, the National 
Republican  Senatorial  Committee,  the  Democratic  Senatorial  Cam-
paign  Committee,  the  National  Republican  Congressional  Committee,
and  the  Democratic  Congressional  Campaign  Committee.    See  2 
U. S. C. §431(14). 

2 A  PAC  is  a  business,  labor,  or  interest  group  that  raises  or  spends
money  in  connection  with  a  federal  election,  in  some  cases  by  contrib-
uting to candidates.  A so-called “Super PAC” is a PAC that makes only 
independent  expenditures  and  cannot  contribute  to  candidates.  The 
base and aggregate limits govern contributions to traditional PACs, but
not  to  independent  expenditure  PACs.    See  SpeechNow.org  v.  Federal 
Election Comm’n, 599 F. 3d 686, 695–696 (CADC 2010) (en banc). 

3 A multicandidate PAC is a PAC with more than 50 contributors that 
has been registered for at least six months and has made contributions 
to five or more candidates for federal office.  11 CFR §100.5(e)(3) (2012).
PACs  that  do  not  qualify  as  multicandidate  PACs  must  abide  by  the 
base limit applicable to individual contributions.