McCutcheon v. FEC
572 U.S. 185 · Decided April 2, 2014 · Supreme Court of the United States
Record summary. This page is generated from the Supreme Court Database’s coded data about the case. It describes who decided what, not the Court’s reasoning. Read the opinion itself before relying on it. Not legal advice.
At a glance
McCutcheon v. FEC was decided on April 2, 2014 by a vote of 5–4. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. wrote the opinion announcing the judgment 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
- 572 U.S. 185 · 134 S. Ct. 1434 · 188 L. Ed. 2d 468 · 2014 U.S. LEXIS 2391
- Docket number
- 12-536
- Decided
- April 2, 2014
- Argued
- October 8, 2013
- Court era
- Roberts Court
- Decision type
- Judgment of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- John G. Roberts Jr.
- Opinion assigned by
- John G. Roberts Jr.
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Campaign spending
- Issue area
- First Amendment
- Legal provision
- First Amendment (speech, press, and assembly)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Held unconstitutional
- An act of Congress
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Dissent | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. | Judgment of the Court | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Sonia Sotomayor | Dissent | |
| Justice Elena Kagan | Dissent |
Full case caption
McCutcheon v. FEC
SCDB identifiers: case 2013-033, docket 2013-033-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Campaign spending”
- Williams–yulee v. the Florida Bar
- American Tradition Partnership, Inc. v. Steve BullockLaw held unconstitutional
- Arizona Free Enterprise Club's Freedom Club Pac v. Ken BennettLaw held unconstitutional
- Citizens United v. Federal Election CommissionAltered precedentLaw held unconstitutional
- Thompson v. Hebdon
- Davis v. FECLaw held unconstitutional
Cases on the same legal provision: First Amendment (speech, press, and assembly)
- Lane v. Franks
- McCullen v. CoakleyLaw held unconstitutional
- Harris v. QuinnLaw held unconstitutional
- Agency for International Development v. Alliance for Open Society International, Inc.Law held unconstitutional
- Reed v. Town of GilbertLaw held unconstitutional
- Walker v. Texas Division
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- Air Wisconsin Airlines Corp. v. Hoeper
- Town of Greece v. Galloway
- Wood v. Moss
- Lane v. Franks
- Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores
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