Gorsuch joins dissent on spending limits

Justice Neil Gorsuch joined Clarence Thomas in dissent Monday when the Supreme Court rejected an appeal from a Republican Party lawyer seeking to strike down limits on big-money contributions to political parties. By a 7-2 vote, the high court upheld limits set in the McCain-Feingold Act of 2002.

The dissent by Gorsuch is his first and most significant decision since joining the court last month, and it puts him squarely on the side of conservatives and GOP lawyers who believe that limits on political money are unconstitutional.

In 2010, the Supreme Court remade the law on political spending when it struck down all the limits on independent spending, including by corporations, in the Citizens United case. Limits on supporting candidates and parties still stand.