Shaun McCutcheon
Shaun McCutcheon is a businessman and electrical engineer from suburban Birmingham, Alabama.[1] He is the successful plaintiff in the Supreme Court case McCutcheon v. FEC, a landmark campaign finance decision.[2]
Career
After graduating from the Georgia Institute of Technology, McCutcheon began working as an electrical engineer, installing motor drives and electrical equipment for manufacturing industries.[3]
In 1996, he founded Coalmont Electrical Development Corporation, an engineering firm specializing in complex electrical systems.[4] McCutcheon currently serves as Coalmont’s CEO.[5]
McCutcheon v. FEC
McCutcheon rose to national prominence when he filed a lawsuit against the Federal Election Commission (FEC) in 2012.[6] McCutcheon specifically challenged the FEC’s “aggregate contribution limits,” which had imposed a cap on contributions an individual could make over a two-year period to national party and federal candidate committees.[7][8]
With the help of attorney and campaign finance expert Dan Backer and the Republican National Committee, McCutcheon’s case rose to the Supreme Court.[9] In 2014, the Court ruled in McCutcheon’s favor by a 5-4 margin, claiming the FEC’s aggregate contribution limits violated the First Amendment.[10]
Political activity
McCutcheon is a Republican donor and conservative activist.[11][12] In May 2020, McCutcheon filed to run for president as a Libertarian.[13][14]
Television
On August 5, 2018, McCutcheon was featured on a segment of season one episode four of Sacha Baron Cohen's Who is America?. In the segment, McCutcheon and his employee Zan are seen being trained, against Islamic terror attacks, by one of Baron Cohen's alter egos, Israeli anti-terrorism expert Erran Morad. By Baron Cohen's goading, they shielded themselves with pork and a riot shield with a cropped still image of gay pornography. McCutcheon also converted his cubicle into an imitation of a mosque while dressing as a stereotypical Muslim, and specifically as a snake charmer.[15]
References
- ^ Frizell, Sam. "The Alabama Engineer Who Made History At the Supreme Court". Time. Retrieved 2017-10-02.
- ^ Liptak, Adam (2014-04-02). "Supreme Court Strikes Down Overall Political Donation Cap". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2017-10-02.
- ^ Frizell, Sam. "The Alabama Engineer Who Made History At the Supreme Court". Time. Retrieved 2017-10-02.
- ^ Frizell, Sam. "The Alabama Engineer Who Made History At the Supreme Court". Time. Retrieved 2017-10-02.
- ^ Frizell, Sam. "The Alabama Engineer Who Made History At the Supreme Court". Time. Retrieved 2017-10-02.
- ^ Jacobs, Ben (2013-10-08). "Who Is Shaun McCutcheon?". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 2017-10-02.
- ^ "Shaun McCutcheon says court victory renders super PAC obsolete". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2017-10-02.
- ^ "McCutcheon v. Federal Election Commission - SCOTUSblog". SCOTUSblog. Retrieved 2017-10-02.
- ^ Liptak, Adam (2014-04-02). "Supreme Court Strikes Down Overall Political Donation Cap". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2017-10-02.
- ^ Liptak, Adam (2014-04-02). "Supreme Court Strikes Down Overall Political Donation Cap". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2017-10-02.
- ^ "Meet the Alabama man behind a Donald Trump super PAC". AL.com. Retrieved 2017-10-02.
- ^ "I Fought the Law and I Won". POLITICO Magazine. Retrieved 2017-10-02.
- ^ Levinthal, Dave (2020-05-07). "1/ It appears that Shaun McCutcheon — the Alabama businessman whose name appears on one of the more consequential campaign finance decisions in U.S. history — has filed paperwork to run for president as a Libertarian.pic.twitter.com/ROgzhepyUS". @davelevinthal. Retrieved 2020-05-27.
- ^ "MCCUTCHEON, SHAUN - Candidate overview". FEC.gov. Retrieved 2020-05-27.
- ^ "Sacha Baron Cohen's Who Is America? trains a Trump delegate how to repel a Muslim office attack". TheWeek. 2017-08-06. Retrieved 2018-08-10.