Buckley v. Valeo
424 U.S. 1 · Decided January 30, 1976 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Buckley v. Valeo was decided on January 30, 1976 by a vote of 7–1. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision in part and reversed or vacated it in part. The decision was issued per curiam (an unsigned opinion of the Court). SCDB classifies its main issue as “Campaign spending” in the First Amendment area. SCDB records that the Court declared an act of Congress unconstitutional.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 424 U.S. 1 · 96 S. Ct. 612 · 46 L. Ed. 2d 659 · 1976 U.S. LEXIS 16
- Docket number
- 75-436
- Decided
- January 30, 1976
- Argued
- November 10, 1975
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Per curiam (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed and reversed (or vacated) in part
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 7–1
- Opinion assigned by
- William J. Brennan Jr.
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Campaign spending
- Issue area
- First Amendment
- Legal provision
- Article II, Section 2, Paragraph 2 (appointments clause)
- Type of law
- Constitution
- Held unconstitutional
- An act of Congress
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
Did not participate: John Paul Stevens.
Full case caption
Buckley et al. v. Valeo, Secretary of the United States Senate, et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1975-033, docket 1975-033-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Campaign spending”
- Cort v. Ash
- First National Bank of Boston v. BellottiLaw held unconstitutional
- California Medical Association v. Federal Election Commission
- Federal Election Commission v. Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee
- Citizens Against Rent Control/coalition for Fair Housing v. City of BerkeleyLaw held unconstitutional
- Bread Political Action Committee v. Federal Election Commission
Cases on the same legal provision: Article II, Section 2, Paragraph 2 (appointments clause)
- Thomas Freytag v. Commissioner of Internal Revenue
- Wiener v. United States
- Eric J. Weiss v. United States
- James D. Ryder v. United States
- NLRB v. Noel Canning
- Lucia v. SEC
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- Time, Inc. v. Firestone
- Hudgens v. National Labor Relations BoardAltered precedent
- McKinney v. AlabamaLaw held unconstitutional
- Greer v. Spock
- Kelley v. Johnson
- Hynes v. Mayor and Council of Borough of OradellLaw held unconstitutional
Source: Supreme Court Database, 2026 Release 01 (data file dated September 8, 2026). Imported into CaseTrail November 5, 2026. Coverage: decisions from the 1946 through 2025 Terms. Methodology · Report an error