A federal judge on Thursday struck down New York State’s limit on contributions to independent groups that spend money supporting political candidates, a move that could unleash large spending by so-called super PACs in state races.

New York imposes a $150,000 limit on an individual’s annual political contributions. The judge, Paul A. Crotty of Federal District Court in Manhattan, ruled that such a limit was a violation of the First Amendment when it was applied to independent groups.

Judge Crotty’s decision was largely expected, as the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit had ruled in October that the donation limit was probably unconstitutional.

And three weeks ago, the United States Supreme Court struck down a cap on the total amount any individual can contribute to federal candidates in an election cycle, a further rollback of limits on election spending and one that the plaintiff in New York viewed as favorable to its case.