Pundit Jonathan Alter deemed it “the most serious threat to democracy in a generation.” 4 Though the ruling struck down bans on union and corporate spending, much attention focused on the potential for business dominance.

In his State of the Union address, President Obama took time to castigate members of the Court sitting just feet away. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell argued that the decision “struck a blow for the First Amendment.” 3 Others expressed strong opposition. The ruling had supporters among conservative and libertarian politicians, commentators, and scholars. Federal Election Commission 2 - overruling precedent, declaring a section of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act unconstitutional, and removing limits on independent spending by corporations and unions - would initiate a political firestorm.

Given the polarizing nature of the issue, it was perhaps inevitable that the Supreme Court’s ruling in Citizens United v. In January 2010, the United States Supreme Court ruled that bans on independent expenditures by labor unions and corporations violated the First Amendment’s guarantee of free expression.

Citizens united v fec impact on society