Talking Points Memo: Judicial Takebacks: Reagan Nominee Overlooked Supreme Court Ruling On Corporate Donations
-By Ryan J. Reilly
May 31, 2011- Last week a federal judge nominated by President Ronald Reagan rocked the campaign finance world when he ruled that corporations could give directly to candidates. Now he's signaled he might want a do over.
James C. Cacheris of the Eastern District of Virginia indicated in an order issued Tuesday that he's considering whether his ruling ignored Supreme Court rulings in 2003 (FEC v. Beaumont) and 1997 (Agostini v. Felton) which upheld the ban on corporate donations.
Cacheris requested that both federal prosecutors and lawyers representing two businessmen who allegedly reimbursed their employees' donations to Hilary Clinton file briefings on his decision by 5 p.m. Wednesday. He wants the briefings to be less than 10-pages in length and has scheduled a court hearing for Friday morning.