Court Says FEC Deadlocks Need No Second-Guessing By Judges

Courts must continue to defer to the federal campaign finance regulators, even when they deadlock along party lines, according to a new appeals court order.

An order handed down Tuesday by the full U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit let stand a three-judge panel ruling preventing review of the Federal Election Commission’s discretion to dismiss campaign finance enforcement matters.

A dissenting judge said the move would undermine enforcement of federal campaign finance law.

“Who pays for the messages we hear about candidates for federal office?” Judge Cornelia Pillard asked in a written dissent. “Federal election law ...