Supreme Court grants Republican emergency appeal on TV ad rates before midterms

WASHINGTON (AP) – The Supreme Court granted an emergency appeal from Republicans in a dispute over campaign ad rates on Friday, clearing a legal roadblock to political parties getting cheaper TV ad time ahead of the midterm elections.

What happened

In practice, the justices halted for now a lower-court ruling in favor of Democratic candidates who argued that cheaper broadcast ads should be limited to candidates. One justice publicly dissented from the unsigned order. It's the latest election-related appeal to come before the high court ahead of the pivotal November contests. The Trump administration backed the emergency appeal from GOP campaign arms.

In practice, the decision comes on the heels of a June Supreme Court ruling that removed limits on parties spending funds in coordination with candidates. It was seen as a boon to the GOP since the national party has a sizable cash advantage, and access to cheaper ad rates could boost that edge.

The bottom line

Taken together, the developments around supreme Court grants Republican emergency appeal on TV ad rates before midterms point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.