WASHINGTON, Sept. 19 (UPI) -- A U.S. District Court of Appeals panel says the Federal Election Commission went too far by creating regulations on outside spending in political campaigns.
The appellate court struck down the election commission's regulations Friday regarding campaign payments made by outside organizations to help pay for voter registration, generic advertisements and administrative costs, The Hill reported.
The judges ruled 2-1 that outside organizations, under the U.S. Constitution, are allowed to use soft money to pay for campaign advertisements.
Election law experts told The Hill that based on that ruling, other independent expenditures in campaigns could be allowed.
The difference between hard money and soft money in campaign support is there is a $5,000 campaign contribution limit for hard money donations. There are no limits for campaign donations of soft money, or funds not directly used for specific candidate advocacy.
The Hill said the appeals court ruling was prompted by a lawsuit filed by EMILY's List, a political action committee that supports female candidates who favor abortion rights.
