Federal Judge Invalidates New Mexico’s State Political Party Contribution Limits
A federal judge in New Mexico has ruled that the state’s limits on political party contributions are unconstitutional. Chief U.S. District Judge William P. Johnson struck down the restrictions on how much state political parties can contribute to political candidates and local parties, arguing that they violated the First Amendment rights of freedom of speech and association.
The court’s decision came in response to a lawsuit filed by the Republican Party of New Mexico, among other Republican plaintiffs, challenging the New Mexico Campaign Reporting Act. The Act, enacted in 2009 after a series of corruption scandals, imposed limits on political party contributions to curb the influence of money in politics.
Judge Johnson found that while some campaign finance limits enforced by the state were valid, the restrictions on contributions from state political parties exceeded constitutional boundaries. The ruling enjoined the state from enforcing the $11,000 limit per election cycle for contributions from state political parties to gubernatorial candidates or candidate committees, the $5,500 limit per election cycle for other candidates, and the $5,500 limit on contributions from state political parties to county parties.
In his ruling, Judge Johnson highlighted the concern over corruption in New Mexico politics, referencing historical instances of political scandals and convictions. Nevertheless, he emphasized that campaign contribution limits must be specifically designed to prevent quid pro quo corruption or its appearance.
The judge acknowledged the importance of addressing corruption but found that the challenged limits were lower compared to other states and less strict than those upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court. He deemed the restrictions on state party contributions to gubernatorial and non-gubernatorial candidates as well as county parties as too attenuated from the root concerns of corruption between individuals and candidates.
However, the court upheld the $27,500 limit per election cycle on contributions from individuals and entities to state political parties. Judge Johnson determined that this limit served the sufficiently important interest of preventing quid pro quo corruption or its appearance.
The ruling has attracted attention from both sides of the political spectrum. The Republican Party of New Mexico had no immediate comment on the decision, stating that their legal team is studying the details. The state Attorney General’s Office, which aided in defending the state, has yet to provide a comment.
Overall, the ruling by Chief U.S. District Judge William P. Johnson has invalidated New Mexico’s state political party contribution limits, marking a significant development in the ongoing debate over campaign finance laws and the influence of money in politics.
