Shaun McCutcheon is a businessman and electrical engineer from suburban

Birmingham, Alabama Birmingham ( ) is a city in the north central region of Alabama, United States. It is the county seat of Jefferson County, Alabama, Jefferson County. The population was 200,733 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List ...

. He is the inventor and developer of innovative industrial electric devices including a large-scale imploding circuit breaker and a multi-polar electric motor and generator. He is also the successful plaintiff in the

Supreme Court In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

case '' McCutcheon v. FEC'', a landmark campaign finance decision.

Career

After graduating from the

Georgia Institute of Technology The Georgia Institute of Technology (commonly referred to as Georgia Tech, GT, and simply Tech or the Institute) is a public university, public research university and Institute of technology (United States), institute of technology in Atlanta, ...

, McCutcheon began working as an electrical engineer, installing motor drives and electrical equipment for manufacturing industries. In 1996, he founded Coalmont Electrical Development Corporation, an engineering firm specializing in complex electrical systems. McCutcheon currently serves as Coalmont's CEO.

''McCutcheon v. FEC''

McCutcheon rose to national prominence when he filed a lawsuit against the

Federal Election Commission The Federal Election Commission (FEC) is an independent agency of the United States government that enforces U.S. campaign finance laws and oversees U.S. federal elections. Created in 1974 through amendments to the Federal Election Campaign ...

(FEC) in 2012. 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. With the help of the attorney and campaign finance expert Dan Backer and the

Republican National Committee The Republican National Committee (RNC) is the primary committee of the Republican Party of the United States. Its members are chosen by the state delegations at the national convention every four years. It is responsible for developing and pr ...

, McCutcheon's case rose to the Supreme Court. 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.

Political activity

McCutcheon is a Republican donor and conservative activist. In May 2020, McCutcheon filed to run for president as a

Libertarian Libertarianism (from ; or from ) is a political philosophy that holds freedom, personal sovereignty, and liberty as primary values. Many libertarians believe that the concept of freedom is in accord with the Non-Aggression Principle, according ...

In popular culture

McCutcheon made frequent appearances as himself on news programs and in other forums to defend the rights of donors to give to politicians.

In film and television

On episode 4 of the satirical comedy show '' Who Is America?'' the character Erran Morad (as portrayed by

Sacha Baron Cohen Sacha Noam Baron Cohen ( ; born 13 October 1971) is an English comedian, actor and performance artist. Known for his creation and portrayal of the fictional satirical characters Ali G, Borat Sagdiyev, Brüno Gehard, and Admiral General Haf ...

) teaches Shaun McCutcheon how to defend an office from Islamic terrorists by wielding pork and a picture of two men apparently having anal sex as shields.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McCutcheon, Shaun Year of birth missing (living people) Living people American chief executives American electrical engineers Georgia Tech alumni Businesspeople from Birmingham, Alabama