Document ID: ./input/supremecourt_opinions/opinions/13pdf/12-536_e1pf.pdf
Page Number: 62.0

Cite as:  572 U. S. ____ (2014) 

11 

BREYER, J., dissenting 

they openly “offer[ed] greater access to federal office hold­
ers  as  the  donations  gr[e]w  larger.”  Id.,  at  502.    I  have 
placed  in  Appendix  A  more  examples  of  the  kind  of  evi­
dence that filled the District Court record in McConnell. 

This  Court  upheld  BCRA’s  limitations  on  soft  money 
contributions by relying on just the kind of evidence I have
described.  We wrote: 

“The evidence in the record shows that candidates and 
donors  alike  have  in  fact  exploited  the  soft-money 
loophole,  the  former  to  increase  their  prospects  of 
election and the latter to create debt on the part of of­
ficeholders . . . . Plaintiffs argue that without concrete
evidence of an instance in which a federal officeholder 
has  actually  switched  a  vote  [in  exchange  for  soft 
money] . . . , Congress has not shown that there exists
real or apparent corruption. . . . [P]laintiffs conceive of 
corruption too narrowly.  Our cases have firmly estab­
lished  that  Congress’  legitimate  interest  extends  be­
yond  preventing  simple  cash-for-votes  corruption  to 
curbing  ‘undue  influence  on  an  officeholder’s  judg­
ment,  and  the  appearance  of  such  influence.’ ”  540 
U. S., at 146, 149–150 (quoting Colorado II, 533 U. S., 
at  441;  emphasis  added;  paragraphs  and  paragraph
breaks omitted). 

We  specifically  rejected  efforts  to  define  “corruption”  in
ways  similar  to  those  the  plurality  today  accepts.  We 
added: 

“Just as troubling to a functioning democracy as clas­
sic  quid  pro  quo  corruption  is  the  danger  that  office­
holders  will  decide  issues  not  on  the  merits  or  the 
desires  of  their  constituencies,  but  according  to  the
wishes of those who have made large financial contri­
butions valued by the officeholder.”  540 U. S., at 153. 

Insofar  as  today’s  decision  sets  forth  a  significantly  nar­