Supreme Court temporarily blocks Arizona public financing system

My research has shown that public funding, by reducing the amount that candidates directly spend in a race, helps protect incumbents. The Supreme Court on Tuesday temporarily blocked Arizona's public financing system.

The Supreme Court has blocked Arizona from distributing extra campaign money to political candidates who are relying on public funding.

The court says in a brief order Tuesday that it will prevent the state from using its system of so-called matching funds at least until the justices decide whether to hear the full appeal of opponents of the campaign funding system.

Publicly funded candidates get matching funds when they're outspent by privately funded rivals or targeted by independent groups' spending.

Lower courts split on whether matching funds are constitutional. . . .