As a federal appellate judge for the past dozen years, Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh has played a central role in building the nation’s system of campaign finance laws. It’s a system that voters hold in low esteem in recent polls.
Kavanaugh has been on the U.S. Circuit Court for the District of Columbia, a frequent destination for cases involving the Federal Election Commission. His decisions have effectively pulled the campaign finance system rightward, letting in more money with less regulation. He’s been roughly in sync with Anthony Kennedy, the justice he once clerked for and now might succeed.
That record has drawn relatively little attention in the fight over confirming Kavanaugh for the Supreme Court. It’s a mistake on the part of liberals, said Chiraag Bains, director of legal strategies for the progressive advocacy group Demos.
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