Final answer:
The Supreme Court's ruling in McCutcheon v. FEC removed aggregate limits on individual contributions to political campaigns, finding these limits in violation of the First Amendment, which increased the flow of money into elections.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Supreme Court's ruling in McCutcheon et al. v. Federal Election Commission was a significant decision which struck down the aggregate limits on the amounts of money that individuals can contribute to political campaigns during two-year election cycles, finding them in violation of the First Amendment. This 2014 decision followed the controversial Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission case in 2010, which removed spending limits on corporations and was argued on the same basis of free speech rights.
The McCutcheon decision removed the cap on total contributions an individual could make to all federal candidates, political parties, and political action committees combined, over a two-year period, thus allowing for a greater flow of money into the electoral process. This has led to increased activities by special interest groups and a surge in lobbying efforts as there is no longer a federal limit to the total contributions that an individual can make.