We'll see if indeed they side with Ted. It appears that they will, but I have some doubt.
Supreme Court Seems Ready to Back Ted Cruz in Campaign Finance Case The Supreme Court seemed ready on Wednesday to side with a challenge to a federal campaign finance law brought by Senator Ted Cruz, Republican of Texas, in what would be the latest in a series of decisions dismantling various aspects of campaign finance regulations on First Amendment grounds.
The law Mr. Cruz challenged places a $250,000 limit on the repayment of personal loans from candidates to campaigns using money from postelection donations. Seeking to test the constitutionality of the law, Mr. Cruz lent $260,000 to his 2018 re-election campaign.
A related regulation allows repayment of loans of more than $250,000 so long as campaigns use pre-election donations and repay the money within 20 days of the election. But the campaign did not repay Mr. Cruz by that deadline, so he stands to lose $10,000.
Malcolm L. Stewart, a lawyer for the federal government, said that Mr. Cruz’s financial injury was self-inflicted. Mr. Cruz’s campaign could have lawfully repaid him, he said, if it had done so within the 20 days specified in the regulation.
Several conservative justices seemed unpersuaded by the argument, saying that plaintiffs are permitted to test laws they believe are unconstitutional by acting against what could be said to be their self-interest.
Mr. Stewart said the law helps address potential corruption. “Because repayment of candidate loans increases the candidate’s personal wealth,” Mr. Stewart said, “the conduct the statute regulates implicates the same concerns that underlie limits on gifts to federal officials.”
Justice Amy Coney Barrett questioned that analysis. “Senator Cruz says that this doesn’t enrich him personally because he’s no better off than he was before,” she said. “It’s paying a loan, not lining his pockets.”
Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh added that contributions to federal political candidates are already restricted. “Why isn’t the $2,900 limit that applies sufficient to address the government’s anticorruption interest, especially given, as Justice Barrett says, it is a loan, not a gift?” he asked................
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/19/us/supreme-court-ted-cruz-campaign-finance.html
