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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT for the DISTRICT of COLUMBIA ______) REPUBLICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE, ) Et Al., ) Plaintiffs, ) ) V

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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT for the DISTRICT of COLUMBIA ______) REPUBLICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE, ) Et Al., ) Plaintiffs, ) ) V Case 1:08-cv-01953-RJL-RMC Document 39 Filed 03/09/2009 Page 1 of 89 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA _______________________________________ ) REPUBLICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE, ) et al., ) Plaintiffs, ) ) v. ) Civ. No. 08-1953 (BMK, RJL, RMC) ) FEDERAL ELECTION COMMISSION, ) et al., ) OPPOSITION ) Defendants. ) _______________________________________) DEFENDANT FEDERAL ELECTION COMMISSION’S OPPOSITION TO PLAINTIFFS’ MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT Thomasenia P. Duncan (D.C. Bar No. 424222) General Counsel David Kolker (D.C. Bar No. 394558) Associate General Counsel Kevin Deeley Assistant General Counsel Adav Noti (D.C. Bar No. 490714) Attorney COUNSEL FOR DEFENDANT FEDERAL ELECTION COMMISSION 999 E Street NW Washington, DC 20463 Dated: March 9, 2009 (202) 694-1650 Case 1:08-cv-01953-RJL-RMC Document 39 Filed 03/09/2009 Page 2 of 89 TABLE OF CONTENTS BACKGROUND .............................................................................................................................1 ARGUMENT...................................................................................................................................6 I. STANDARD OF REVIEW .................................................................................................6 II. BCRA’S SOFT MONEY RESTRICTIONS FUNCTION AS CONTRIBUTION LIMITS AND ARE SUBJECT TO INTERMEDIATE SCRUTINY..................................7 III. McCONNELL’S HOLDING THAT TITLE I IS CONSTITUTIONAL REGARDLESS OF HOW THE NATIONAL POLITICAL PARTIES SPEND THEIR FUNDS IS DISPOSITIVE HERE ........................................................................10 IV. THE RISK OF CORRUPTION FROM UNLIMITED SOFT MONEY CONTRIBUTIONS JUSTIFIES BCRA’S LIMITS AS APPLIED TO PLAINTIFFS.....13 A. Background: The Constitution Was Designed to Limit the Power of Political Parties, and Corruption Involving Political Parties Later Helped Instigate the Enactment of the Campaign Finance Laws.......................................13 B. Even If They Do Not Solicit Soft Money Donations Themselves, Officeholders Can Become Obliged to Large Donors to Their Parties .................16 C. Overall, FECA Confers Advantages on Political Parties Relative to Other Entities ........................................................................................................ 24 V. PLAINTIFFS’ APPROACH WOULD CREATE AN UNWORKABLE CONSTITUTIONAL ANALYSIS THAT RELIES ON THEIR UNVERIFIABLE PLEDGES TO AVOID CERTAIN KINDS OF BEHAVIOR ............26 VI. PLAINTIFFS ARE NOT ENTITLED TO A CONSTITUTIONAL EXEMPTION BASED ON THE USES THEY INTEND FOR THEIR FUNDS.....................................32 A. Plaintiffs’ Invented “Unambiguously Campaign Related” Standard Is Inapplicable Here ...............................................................................................32 B. Much of Plaintiffs’ Proposed Activity Will Affect Federal Elections...................36 CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................44 i Case 1:08-cv-01953-RJL-RMC Document 39 Filed 03/09/2009 Page 3 of 89 TABLE OF AUTHORITIES Cases Adickes v. S.H. Kress & Co., 398 U.S. 144 (1970)..........................................................................7 Austin v. Michigan Chamber of Commerce, 494 U.S. 652 (1990) ..................................................2 Buckley v. Valeo, 424 U.S. 1 (1976)............................................................1, 7-9, 24, 27-28, 32-35 California Med. Ass’n v. FEC, 453 U.S. 182 (1981)............................................. 24-25, 28, 34, 44 Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317 (1986) ................................................................................7 Circuit City Stores, Inc. v. Adams, 532 U.S. 105 (2001)...............................................................31 Citizens Against Rent Control v. City of Berkeley, 454 U.S. 290 (1981) ..................................9, 35 Defenders of Wildlife v. Dep’t of Agric., 311 F. Supp. 2d 44 (D.D.C. 2004)..................................7 Diamond v. Atwood, 43 F.3d 1538 (D.C. Cir. 1995) .......................................................................7 Elrod v. Burns, 427 U.S. 347 (1976) .............................................................................................13 FEC v. Beaumont, 539 U.S. 146 (2003) ..........................................................................................9 FEC v. Colorado Republican Fed. Campaign Comm., 533 U.S. 431 (2001) (“Colorado II”)......................................................................... 1-2, 21 FEC v. Malenick, Civ. No. 02-1237, 2005 WL 588222 (D.D.C. Mar. 7, 2005) ...........................35 FEC v. Massachusetts Citizens for Life, Inc., 479 U.S. 238 (1986) (“MCFL”) ......................30, 35 FEC v. Nat’l Right to Work Comm., 459 U.S. 197 (1982) ....................................................1, 8, 24 FEC v. Wisconsin Right to Life, Inc., 127 S. Ct. 2652 (2007) (“WRTL”)................9, 25, 35, 39, 42 First Nat’l Bank of Boston v. Bellotti, 435 U.S. 765 (1978)......................................................9, 35 Florida Bar v. Went For It, Inc., 515 U.S. 618 (1995)..................................................................29 Friends of the Earth, Inc. v. Laidlaw Envtl. Servs. (TOC), Inc., 528 U.S. 167 (2000)..................31 Goland v. United States, 903 F.2d 1247 (9th Cir. 1990) ...............................................................28 Heffron v. Int’l Soc’y for Krishna Consciousness, Inc., 452 U.S. 640 (1981)...............................29 ii Case 1:08-cv-01953-RJL-RMC Document 39 Filed 03/09/2009 Page 4 of 89 Hill v. Colorado, 530 U.S. 703 (2000) .................................................................................... 28-29 McConnell v. FEC, 540 U.S. 93 (2003)................................................................................. passim McConnell v. FEC, 251 F. Supp. 2d 176 (D.D.C. 2003)....................................................... passim Nixon v. Shrink Mo. Gov’t PAC, 528 U.S. 377 (2000)........................................................9, 18, 24 North Carolina Right to Life, Inc. v. Leake, 525 F.3d 274 (4th Cir. 2008) ...................................36 Thurston Motor Lines, Inc. v. Jordan K. Rand, Ltd., 460 U.S. 533 (1983).....................................9 United States v. Automobile Workers, 352 U.S. 567 (1957)................................................ 3, 15-16 Wisconsin Right to Life, Inc. v. FEC, 546 U.S. 410 (2006)...........................................................13 Statutes and Regulations Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002, Pub. L. No. 107-155, 116 Stat. 81-88 (“BCRA”)...................................................... passim Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971, 2 U.S.C. §§ 431-55 (“FECA”) ............................. passim Tillman Act, Ch. 420, 34 Stat. 864 (1907).................................................................................1, 15 2 U.S.C. § 431(4)(B)........................................................................................................................4 2 U.S.C. § 431(20) .........................................................................................................................11 2 U.S.C. § 431(20)(A)......................................................................................................................5 2 U.S.C. § 431(20)(A)(i)..................................................................................................................4 2 U.S.C. § 431(20)(A)(ii)...........................................................................................................4, 39 2 U.S.C. § 431(20)(A)(iii)..............................................................................................................13 2 U.S.C. § 431(21) ...........................................................................................................................5 2 U.S.C. § 441a(a)(1).................................................................................................................9, 25 2 U.S.C. § 441a(a)(1)(B)................................................................................................................25 2 U.S.C. § 441a(a)(1)(C)................................................................................................................25 2 U.S.C. § 441a(d) ...................................................................................................................15, 25 iii Case 1:08-cv-01953-RJL-RMC Document 39 Filed 03/09/2009 Page 5 of 89 2 U.S.C. § 441b......................................................................................................................2, 9, 35 2 U.S.C. § 441b(b) ...........................................................................................................................4 2 U.S.C. § 441i(a) ............................................................................................................................3 2 U.S.C. § 441i(a)(2)......................................................................................................................11 2 U.S.C. § 441i(b)................................................................................................................4, 11, 41 2 U.S.C. § 441i(b)(2) .......................................................................................................................4 2 U.S.C. § 441i(e)(i) ......................................................................................................................35
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