Citizens Against Rent Control/coalition for Fair Housing v. City of Berkeley, California

Summary

The Court held that Berkeley's $250 cap on contributions to committees supporting or opposing ballot measures violates the First Amendment. The cap substantially burdened political association and expression, while the city's asserted interests in preventing corruption, preserving voter confidence, and identifying funding sources were insufficient, particularly because disclosure requirements already revealed contributors. Justice White, dissenting, would have upheld the ordinance as imposing only a minor burden and serving legitimate interests in protecting the referendum process; Justices Blackmun and O'Connor, concurring in the judgment, agreed that the ordinance failed exacting scrutiny but articulated that standard more explicitly.