Nixon v. Shrink Missouri Government Pac — Thomas, J., Dissenting

Summary

Justice Thomas, joined by Justice Scalia, dissented from the Court's approval of Missouri's limits on campaign contributions. He argued that contributions are a constitutionally protected means of political expression, that the rationale distinguishing contributions from expenditures is unsound, and that contribution limits should receive strict scrutiny, which Missouri's limits could not survive. Justice Kennedy, dissenting, likewise would have rejected the existing framework, while Justice Breyer, concurring, defended close balancing and legislative discretion, and Justice Stevens, concurring, characterized money as property rather than speech.