Federal Election Commission v. National Conservative Political Action Committee

The U.S. Supreme Court found political spending restrictions in the Presidential Election Campaign Fund Act "substantially overbroad," inappropriately applying to small informal groups as well as highly organized national organizations. The Court did not consider a general fear of corruption sufficient to justify government restrictions. The Court found that political action committees are valuable tools for the common citizen to promote their political views in an era of mass media communications. Therefore, committee expenditures for presidential campaigns deserved First Amendment protection.