How did McCutcheon v. Federal Election Commission use the First Amendment?

In McCutcheon v. Federal Election Commission (2014), the U.S. Supreme Court utilized the First Amendment to invalidate aggregate limits on the total amount of money an individual could contribute to federal candidates, political party committees, and noncandidate political action committees (PACs) during a two-year election cycle.12

The Court held that these aggregate limits violated the First Amendment’s guarantees of freedom of speech and freedom of association. The ruling was grounded in the principle that contributing money to candidates and political groups is a form of protected political activity, as it allows individuals to affiliate with like-minded people and pool resources to advance shared political goals.23

The Court determined that the government’s interest in preventing the "reality and appearance of corruption"—the justification previously used to uphold such limits in Buckley v. Valeo—was insufficient to justify the infringement on these fundamental rights. By striking down the aggregate caps, the Court affirmed that the government cannot restrict an individual's ability to participate in the political process through financial contributions unless such restrictions are narrowly tailored to prevent quid pro quo corruption.12