Mitch McConnell v. Federal Election Commission
540 U.S. 93 · Decided December 10, 2003 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Mitch McConnell v. Federal Election Commission was decided on December 10, 2003 by a vote of 5–4. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision in part and reversed or vacated it in part. Justice John Paul Stevens wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Campaign spending” in the First Amendment area. SCDB records that the Court declared an act of Congress unconstitutional.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 540 U.S. 93 · 124 S. Ct. 619 · 157 L. Ed. 2d 491 · 2003 U.S. LEXIS 9195
- Docket number
- 02-1674
- Decided
- December 10, 2003
- Argued
- September 8, 2003
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed and reversed (or vacated) in part
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- John Paul Stevens
- Opinion assigned by
- John Paul Stevens
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Campaign spending
- Issue area
- First Amendment
- Legal provision
- First Amendment (speech, press, and assembly)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Held unconstitutional
- An act of Congress
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | Co-authored an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | Co-authored an opinion |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice David H. Souter | Majority | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Majority | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Mitch McConnell, United States Senator, et al. v. Federal Election Commission, et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 2003-006, docket 2003-006-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Campaign spending”
- Federal Election Commission v. Christine Beaumont
- Wisconsin Right to Life, Inc. v. Federal Election Commission
- Federal Election Commission v. Colorado Republican Federal Campaign Committee
- Neil Randall v. William H. SorrellLaw held unconstitutional
- Federal Election Commission v. Wisconsin Right to Life, Inc.Law held unconstitutional
- Jeremiah W. (Jay) Nixon v. Shrink Missouri Government Pac
Cases on the same legal provision: First Amendment (speech, press, and assembly)
- United States v. American Library Association, Inc.
- Virginia v. Kevin Lamont Hicks
- City of Littleton v. Z. J. Gifts D-4, L. L. C.
- John D. Ashcroft v. American Civil Liberties Union
- Illinois ex Rel. Lisa Madigan v. Telemarketing Associates, Inc.
- Virginia v. Barry Elton BlackLaw held unconstitutional
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- Gary Locke v. Joshua Davey
- City of Littleton v. Z. J. Gifts D-4, L. L. C.
- John D. Ashcroft v. American Civil Liberties Union
Source: Supreme Court Database, 2026 Release 01 (data file dated September 8, 2026). Imported into CaseTrail November 5, 2026. Coverage: decisions from the 1946 through 2025 Terms. Methodology · Report an error