Photo: Common Cause (Flickr)
Bob Edgar, Gerry Hebert and Nick Nyhart with Common Cause, a national advocacy organization that has taken a stand against Super PACs, hold a press conference on the day the Supreme Court handed down the ruling on Citizens United.
The U.S. Supreme Court won’t be taking another look at the Citizens United v. FEC case after Monday’s decision to strike down a century-old Montana law that banned corporations from contributing to political campaigns.
Terre Haute lawyer Jim Bopp represented the corporation Citizens United in the original court case. He says he thinks Super PACs will be more active in the general election because of the Supreme Court’s decision.
“The court is reaffirming that the first amendment protects the right of groups to speak out on political matters, whether they be corporations or labor unions,” he says. “And this is particularly important for people of average means that have to pool their resources and join a group in order to speak out and be effective in our system.”
The court’s 5 to 4 decision says the ruling made in the Citizens United case applies to state law and solidifies the court’s stance that corporations should be allowed to express political opinions through campaign spending.
