The first part of paper should be a summary on all the controversies surrounding the Supreme Court decision on McCutcheon v. FEC (2014). In the summary you should include the following:
—What is the case all about?
—Who is the plaintiff and what is the constitutional issue that is being debated?
—How is the case Buckley v. Valeo related to McCutcheon?
—What is the argument of the majority decision?
—What is the argument of the minority decision?
The second part should be your own position and argument on the decision in which you will explain why you agree or disagree with the decision. The following are relevant questions that must be explored and considered.
—Does money in the form of political contribution have influence?
—Do we have a corrupt and broken system as Bernies Sanders and Donald Trump have said?
—Should political spending/contribution be considered a form of free speech without any limits? Or since there is a limit even on free speech, can there be certain limits on campaign spending/contribution?
On one hand, many critics of the McCutcheon decision have charged that the Supreme Court is increasingly allowing bribery to be part of the political process. On the other hand, current associate Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas argues that the distinction between political spending and contribution is an inconsistent application of free speech and therefore calls for getting rid of all limits, including restrictions on direct individual contribution to political candidates. Is he correct?
Federal election law prohibits political candidates from taking donations from foreign entities and governments, but these groups donate millions to various US interest groups and American lobbyists, where it becomes their money and presumably their free speech, which is spent and contributed to US political campaigns.
—Do these contributions have influence and therefore is problematic? Or is that all economic freedom and freedom of speech that must be protected too without any limits? Or is this all just a form of bribery and corruption?
—Come up with a general principle that explains and addresses the balance between the concern for bribery and protection of free speech which will not lead to corruption
—Or make a case and explain why money and free speech are separate matters.
**The paper must be 750 words or more. Must include 3 or more sources and must be cited.
