Opinion ID: 853859
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Buckley's Express Advocacy Test

Text: In Buckley, the Supreme Court addressed constitutional challenges to the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (FECA) similar to those we face here. The Court noted that the Act touched an area of paramount importance: Discussion of public issues and debate on the qualifications of candidates are integral to the system of government established by our Constitution. The First Amendment affords the broadest protection to such political expression in order to assure [the] unfettered interchange of ideas for the bringing about of political and social changes desired by the people. Buckley, 424 U.S. at 14, 96 S.Ct. 612 (quoting Roth v. United States, 354 U.S. 476, 484, 77 S.Ct. 1304, 1 L.Ed.2d 1498 (1957)). On the other hand, [t]he constitutional power of Congress to regulate federal elections is well-established.. . . Buckley, 424 U.S. at 13, 96 S.Ct. 612. Thus, the critical constitutional questions presented here go not to the basic power . . . to legislate in this area, but to whether the specific legislation . . . enacted interferes with First Amendment freedoms.. . . Id. at 13-14, 96 S.Ct. 612. Assessing these competing interests, the Court divided political speech into two parts. Express advocacy is that speech which in express terms advocate[s] the election or defeat of a clearly identified candidate.. . . Id. at 44, 96 S.Ct. 612. [5] Speech that does not expressly advocate the election or defeat of a clearly identified candidate, but does involve political ideas or social commentary, is now generally called issue advocacy. See, e.g., BAPAC, 943 F.Supp. at 977. As phrased by the District Court: [T]he government may impose certain organizational and reporting requirements and expenditure and contribution limits on express advocacy, but any power to regulate the broader category of issue advocacy is far more limited. BAPAC, 943 F.Supp. at 977. [6] The question before us is whether the influence language in the Indiana statute violates Buckley's express advocacy test.