Could a Maine court case lead to broader campaign finance reform?

Appeals Court judges seem open to Maine limits on super PAC contributions

A FIGHT OVER unlimited super PAC money that was blocked from Massachusetts voters found its way back to Boston anyway. On Wednesday, it landed at the John Joseph Moakley federal courthouse, where a three-judge panel of the US Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit spent nearly an hour hearing arguments on whether Maine can enforce a voter-approved $5,000 cap on contributions to super PACs. Judges seemed open to the idea, if they could find a way t…

Federal appeals court hears arguments on super PAC contribution limits passed by Maine voters

The court heard arguments Wednesday surrounding the ballot initiative passed in 2024 related to placing donation limits on independent political action committees.

Federal appeals court hears Maine test case on regulating super PACs • Rhode Island Current

Neal Katyal (left), Larry Lessig, Rick Bennett and Maia Cook address reporters outside the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit in Boston on July 29, 2026, after oral arguments. (By Emma Davis/ Maine Morning Star) The U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark decision that struck down limits on independent political spending does not need to be overturned to rein in Big Money in politics, Neal Katyal argued before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fi…

Federal appeals court hears arguments over Maine limits on super PACs

A federal appeals court in Boston heard arguments Wednesday about the constitutionality of a 2-year-old campaign finance law in Maine. The case deals with contributions to so-called super PACs, which now spend billions of dollars each year on elections nationwide to influence voters. And supporters of Maine’s law are hoping to push the case all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. “We’re in a different world and I think that justifies taking a new…

Maine is at the forefront of campaign finance law nationwide

On Wednesday, the First Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments on a 2024 citizens' initiative that would limit individual contributions to Super PACs to $5,000

Federal appeals court hears Maine test case on regulating super PACs

Neal Katyal (left), Larry Lessig, Rick Bennett and Maia Cook address reporters outside the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit in Boston on July 29, 2026, after oral arguments. (By Emma Davis/ Maine Morning Star)The U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark decision that struck down limits on independent political spending does not need to be overturned to rein in Big Money in politics, Neal Katyal argued before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fir…