The U.S. Supreme Court’s Jan. 24 ruling on campaign contributions holds seeds of hope for defenders of campaign finance reform in lawsuits around the country, according to those advocates.

But, the reformers concede, their primary goal — to persuade the high court to reconsider its landmark 1976 campaign finance decision and the dichotomy it created between contributions and expenditures — remains elusive as a key challenge moves up the federal courts.