When they signed the Declaration of Independence, the Founders pledged their “lives … fortunes, and … sacred honor” to the political cause they were fighting for. They didn’t pledge their “lives, sacred honor, and fortunes up to an amount to be determined by Parliament and signed into law by the King.” And we shouldn’t so limit ourselves, either.
The ability to contribute financially to elect or defeat a candidate for office has long been recognized as a core First Amendment right. It is part of both our freedom of association — to join together with others to voice our views and accomplish our political goals — and our right to speak — to pool our resources to deliver a message to other voters. In the landmark 1976 case of Buckley v. Valeo, the Supreme Court noted that limits on political giving “operate in an area of the most fundamental First Amendment activities.”
