Story thread · 4 reports / 3 sources

Supreme Court order rocks midterms as 'flat-footed' Dems left reeling

rawstory.com · 10dShare

The U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way for millions of dollars in Republican political party committees' coffers to be used to buy television ads at the steep discount federal law reserves for candidates, just eight weeks before the midterm elections. The justices issued a four-page unsigned order Friday afternoon that put on hold an appeals court ruling limiting the discount to candidates themselves, SCOTUSblog reported . Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson was the lone dissenter. President Donald Trump's administration and Republicans had wanted the ruling to unlock party committees' funds at the best advertising rates. The advertising discount window for the Nov. 3 election opened the same day the order came down. And fundraising at the party committee level is an advantage Republicans hold over Democrats. Federal law requires broadcasters to sell candidates airtime at the cheapest rate they charge anyone for the same kind of slot, Editor & Publisher noted . The discount kicks in 45 days

First report: Sen. Jon Ossoff and other Democratic candidates urge justices to leave court ruling in place on political broadcasting rates — scotusblog.com, 11d