FEC v. Beaumont
North Carolina Right to Life, a nonprofit advocacy corporation, its officers, and an eligible voter in North Carolina filed a constitutional challenge to section 441b(a) of the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA) and two implementing regulations. The district court held that these provisions violated the plaintiffs' First Amendment right to make expenditures and contributions in connection with federal elections, but declined to facially invalidate section 441b(a) and the regulations. The court of appeals affirmed, holding that (1) section 441b(a) and the regulations burden the First Amendment speech and association interests of nonprofit advocacy groups, and (2) the prohibition on independent expenditures is not narrowly tailored to serve a compelling governmental interest, and that the proscription on contributions is not closely drawn to match a sufficiently important interest. However, the court of appeals also declined to facially invalidate the provisions because it found that they are constitutional in the overwhelming majority of applications.
Question Presented:
The FECA prohibits corporations and labor unions from making direct campaign contributions and independent expenditures in connection with federal elections. The question presented is whether
Section 441b's prohibition on contributions violates the First Amendment to the Constitution if it is applied to a nonprofit corporation whose primary purpose is to engage in political advocacy.
