Today's big SCOTUS news is, of course, the 5-4 ruling that strikes down the DC gun ban, and which has Obama in a somewhat awkward position.
But today the court also zapped the so-called "millionaire's amendment" from the 2001 McCain-Feingold campaign finance law, designed to protect members of Congress from wealthy self-financing rivals. A reader notes the irony:
John McCain is promising conservatives that he will appoint the same sort of judges who are systematically eviscerating his signature legislative achievement.
It'll be interesting to see how much McCain is willing to publicly complain about this ruling. And whether he and Feingold dare to issue any kind of joint statement.
P.S. Good day for George Will.
Update: Feingold issues a statement saying the ruling
has no impact on the central component of McCain-Feingold, which is the soft money ban. That soft money ban, which the Supreme Court has upheld, remains intact. It has revolutionized political fundraising in this country. I opposed the millionaire’s amendment in its initial form and I never believed it was a core component of campaign finance reform
The statement goes on to note that McCain had initially opposed the amendment as well. Still no response from McCain that I've seen.
--Michael Crowley