Here, Roberts seemed to say that he might split the baby, permitting someone like McCutcheon to give directly to as many candidates as he pleased (up to the base contribution limit) but limiting the size of donations to multi-candidate committees. “Is there -- is there any way to prevent the concern you have about the 3-point-whatever-it-is million-dollar check without imposing the limit on the person who wants to support 10 candidates rather than one?” he asked Verrilli. Alito agreed that “these aggregate limits might not all stand or fall together.” In other words, the court would take away the sticker shock of a large donation. That would deal with the unsavory optics of a wealthy donor presenting the president or party chairman with a huge check. But presidents and party leaders in Congress would still have access to information showing that Mr. Moneybags had maxed out his contributions to every one of the party’s candidates. Wouldn’t such spectacular largess engender the same sense of gratitude -- and the same potential for a quid pro quo -- as the presentation of a single million-dollar check?
Don't split the baby, Chief Justice Roberts - latimes.com
