Court Ruling Whittles Down McCain's Pet

And I'm not talking about Senator John McCain's dogs and cats. I'm referring to the McCain-Feingold Campaign finance reform law. And who is doing the whittling? A Democrat supporting organization called Emily's List.

Brought in 2005, the suit alleged that FEC rules limiting how much so-called 527 outside groups could raise and spend violated EMILY’s List’s First Amendment rights and also exceeded the FEC’s authority. A judge in Washington, D.C.’s federal district court ruled in favor of the FEC last year, and EMILY’s List appealed, winning a sweeping ruling last month from a three-judge panel of federal appeals court. The panel not only struck down narrow restrictions dictating what types of money could be used for ads that referred to federal candidates versus more generic organizing activities, but also called into question contribution limits on independent political groups as a whole -- a ruling that went far beyond what EMILY's List sought in the case.

The courts seem to have struck another blow for free political speech. In time the law may be whittled down to nothing more than reporting requirements. Good.