For those interested in electoral politics and campaign finance law, consider reading the U.S. Supreme Court briefs in Federal Election Commission v Wisconsin Right to Life. There are 19 briefs so far, because there are so many amicus curiae briefs. They can all be read by going the www.jamesmadisoncenter.org, and, on the left side, clicking the link “Wisconsin Right to Life McCain-Feingold Challenge.”

Still unavailable are the reply briefs of the Federal Election Commission and U.S. Senator John McCain. They are due on April 18. The U.S. Supreme Court oral argument is April 25.

One might think, with so many briefs, they would mostly duplicate each other. But this is not true; they are very varied. Each one of them begins by framing the issues in the case. If you feel intimidated that you don’t know enough about the case to enjoy reading the briefs, the introductions will guide you.

However, reading all the briefs is time-consuming. The briefs already filed include 560 pages, not including various appendices and the Roman numeral pages.