Citizens United v. FEC

Rare card · No. 20241

Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, 558 U.S. 310 (2010), is a landmark decision of the Supreme Court of the United States ruling that certain campaign finance restrictions are inconsistent with the Free Speech Clause of the First Amendment. By a 5-4 vote, the court struck down Section 203 of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRA), which prohibited "electioneering communications" paid for by corporations, labor unions, and other organizations in the months just before elections. A larger majority of the court upheld other parts of the BCRA, such as its disclosure provisions. Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote the majority opinion, holding that the BCRA's prohibition of all independent expenditures by corporations and unions violated the First Amendment and freedom of association. The ruling bars restrictions on corporations', unions', and nonprofit organizations' independent expenditures, allowing groups to independently support political candidates with financial resources. In...

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