ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, January 6, 1996 TAG: 9601100028
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-4 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: WASHINGTON
SOURCE: Associated Press
The Supreme Court will use a Colorado dispute to decide whether free speech rights are violated by limits on how much money political parties can spend in federal election campaigns.
The justices said Friday that they will review a ruling that said the Colorado Republican Party's Federal Campaign Committee violated a federal campaign-spending law when it spent $15,000 in a 1986 U.S. Senate campaign.
The appeal amounts to a broad constitutional attack against the Federal Election Campaign Act's limit on what parties may spend ``in connection with the general election campaign of a candidate.''
The justices also said they would:
Decide whether the federal government can be forced to pay damages for violating a law that protects disabled people from bias in federally funded programs.
Clarify when evidence of crime seized by police during some traffic stops is inadmissible in court. The case involves two men convicted on drug charges in the District of Columbia.
Review the death sentence of a Virginia inmate who says prosecutors, during the sentencing phase of his trial, improperly produced unreliable surprise evidence that he committed two other killings.
The Colorado dispute stems from pre-election spending by the state's Republican Party. At the time, then-Rep. Tim Wirth had registered as a candidate for the Democratic nomination for the Senate.
The Colorado Republicans spent $15,000 on radio ads that questioned Wirth's dedication to a strong defense and a balanced budget.
The Colorado Democratic Party filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission based on the campaign spending.
Federal campaign law limits contributions to candidates for federal office. Individuals may contribute no more than $1,000, and political committees no more than $5,000, to any candidate.
LENGTH: Short : 48 linesby CNB