Basic Documents in Federal Campaign Finance Law (Basic American Documents)

Basic Documents in Federal Campaign Finance Law presents the evolution of the relationship of money and politics in American governance, with a special focus on the regulations and norms which have shaped the current understanding of campaign finance in the United States. It emphasizes the main reasons for federal legislation on campaign finance, its outcomes, and the ways in which issues have been challenged in the courts, focusing especially on the changing attitudes of the Supreme Court towards the issue. The book contains a short introduction to every important piece of legislation or court decision, including the background of the legislation and its main purpose and substance, as well as the facts leading to legal disputes over the legislation's constitutionality. Each introductory piece is followed by the most crucial excerpts from legislative acts or Supreme Court opinions on campaign finance, so that readers are able to analyze for themselves the substance and form of the regulations on the issue.