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More freedom or less democracy? Sorting out ramifications of the McCutcheon ruling

Flickr - marsmet462

The U.S. Supreme Court last week came out with another controversial ruling on our nation’s campaign finance laws.

In the case McCutcheon versus the FEC, the Supreme Court struck down the limits on the overall amount of money an individual can give to all federal candidates and committees in a two-year election cycle.Reactions to the decision have been polarized, from supporters claiming a First Amendment victory for freedom of speech to detractors claiming the sky is starting to crumble on our democracy.

Current State spoke with Rich Robinson, he’s the executive director of the Michigan Campaign Finance Network. Also joining is Richard McLellan, a Lansing attorney experienced in campaign finance and a longtime GOP power broker.

Robinson says fewer than 600 people reached the maximum in the last election cycle. McLellan says the question should be if the government has a good reason to restrict the liberty of any individual or group.

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