Republican National Committee v. Federal Election Commission

Background

The case involves the Republican National Committee and the Federal Election Commission in appeals coming from the D.C. Circuit, with the lower-court reports listed at 251 F. Supp. 2d 176 and 948. The parties who were plaintiffs and defendants in the District Court filed competing papers in the lower courts, and the matter was brought to the Supreme Court for further review.

Reasoning

The Court noted probable jurisdiction and consolidated the cases for consideration. It allotted a total of four hours for oral argument. The Court directed parties who were plaintiffs in the District Court to file briefs addressing the questions in their jurisdictional statements by 3 p.m. on Tuesday, July 8, 2003. Parties who were defendants in the District Court must file their briefs by 3 p.m. on Tuesday, August 5, 2003. Any reply briefs by the former plaintiffs are due by 3 p.m. on Thursday, August 21, 2003.

Real world impact

This order schedules how the Supreme Court will consider the dispute, requires the parties to meet specific briefing deadlines, and sets oral argument for 10:00 a.m. on Monday, September 8, 2003. The ruling is a procedural step that lets the Court hear the appeals; it is not a final decision on the underlying legal claims and the outcome could change after full briefing and argument.