New York judge lifts donation limits to independent expenditure committees

Last week, a federal judge struck down New York State’s limit on individual contributions to independent expenditure committees, citing recent precedent from the U.S. Supreme Court that loosened federal campaign finance law.

New York imposes a $150,000 limit on an individual’s annual political contribution. The district court judge in Manhattan ruled that such a limit was a violation of the First Amendment when it was applied to independent groups. The decision follows a U.S. Supreme Court decision from last month that struck down a cap on the total amount any individual can contribute to federal candidates in an election cycle.