The United States Supreme Court today struck down, by a 5–4 vote, a Montana law limiting corporate campaign spending, reaffirming its 2010 Citizens United decision. The ruling clarified that Citizens United applies to state campaign finance laws as well as to federal statutes, and guarantees corporations and labor unions can participate in elections by raising and spending money on behalf of candidates and issues.
The following statements from legal experts at The Heartland Institute – a free-market think tank – may be used for attribution. For more comments, refer to the contact information below. To book a Heartland guest on your program, please contact Tammy Nash at [email protected] and 312/377-4000. After regular business hours, contact Jim Lakely at [email protected] and 312/731-9364.
“The Supreme Court today reaffirmed the obvious point that the Left is trying to shout down: Corporations are voluntary associations of people joining together to advance their goals, and so have the same rights as those people, including the right to freedom of speech.”
Peter Ferrara
Senior Fellow for Entitlement and Budget Policy
The Heartland Institute
[email protected]
610/438-5721
“The Court’s decision reaffirming Citizens United was welcome, but not its reversal of a ruling by the Montana Supreme Court affirming the state law which applies only to state elections. The majority’s blithe dismissal of the states-rights argument Montana made on supremacy clause grounds is regrettable.”
Maureen Martin
Senior Fellow for Legal Affairs
The Heartland Institute
[email protected]
920/295-6032
The Heartland Institute is a 28-year-old national nonprofit organization headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Its mission is to discover, develop, and promote free-market solutions to social and economic problems. For more information, visit our Web site or call 312/377-4000.
Peter Ferrara, J.D., is a senior fellow at The Heartland Institute and an advisor for entitlement reform and budget policy at the National Tax Limitation Foundation.
Maureen Martin, a former legal fellow at The Heartland Institute, passed away on February 5, 2013.
