Bloomberg BNA:

he 75-year-old federal ban on campaign contributions from government contractors is similar to state laws restricting “pay-to-play” contributions, which have been upheld against all court challenges, U.S. Solicitor General Donald Verrilli argued in a newly filed Supreme Court brief (Miller v. Federal Election Commission, U.S., No. 15-428, opposition brief filed, 12/16/15).

At least 17 states restrict campaign contributions from some or all state contractors or licensees, Verrilli’s brief said. While many of those state laws have been challenged based on constitutional theories similar to those in a current challenge to the federal contractor contribution ban, the federal courts of appeal “have uniformly upheld the laws,” the government’s brief said.