Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission Essays

  • Citizens United Case

    878 Words  | 2 Pages

    between Citizens United, a nonprofit conservative leading organization, and the Federal Election Commission, which regulates the amount of money being donated to politicians and their political parties. The court case was very divisive because it brought into question whether or not a corporation had the right to protected political speech just like an individual person does. Citizens United questioned the FEC’s regulation on corporate contributions in conjunction with an upcoming election. The response

  • Campaign Finance Reform: The History, Present, and Future

    1805 Words  | 4 Pages

    interest throughout the history of the United States Government, especially in the more recent decades. There are arguments on both sides of the issue. Proponents of campaign finance limits argue that wealthy donors and corporations hold too much power in elections and as a result they can corrupt campaigns. Those who favor less regulation argue that campaign donations are a form of free speech. One case in particular, Citizens United vs. The Federal Election Commission has altered everything with pertaining

  • Citizens United v. FEC: United We Stand, Corporations and All

    1052 Words  | 3 Pages

    Introduction In January of 2010, the United States Supreme Court, in the spirit of free speech absolutism, issued its landmark Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission decision, marking a radical shift in campaign finance law. This ruling—or what some rightfully deem a display of judicial activism on the part of the Roberts Court and what President Obama warned would “open the floodgates for special interests—including foreign corporations—to spend without limit in…elections” —effectively and surreptitiously

  • Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act Case Study

    1290 Words  | 3 Pages

    ability of corporations and other wealthy organizations from exerting undue influence on federal elections. During the campaign for the 2008 presidential election, a conservative political organization called Citizens United attempted to release a movie denouncing Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, but was required to request an injunction against the Federal Elections Commission, or the FEC. This federal agency imposes campaign finance law, due to restrictions of the BCRA- specifically, section

  • The Ashwander Rules: A Bad Decision Making System

    3953 Words  | 8 Pages

    The Supreme Court of the United States has made many bad decisions throughout history. Whether that be the decision of the Court itself, their decision making process, the reasoning, or just by accepting the case for review can all aid in what makes a bad decision. Justice Louis D. Brandeis created a set of rules known as the Ashwander rules in his concurring opinion of Ashwander v Texas Valley Authority 1936. These guidelines were created to help the Court and future justices determine what kind

  • Campaign Finance Reform: Constitutional Amendment

    1281 Words  | 3 Pages

    clandestine rule and continued hegemonification of the lower class. As recent as April 2, 2014 in McCutcheon v. Federal Election Commission, the U.S. Supreme court released the contribution limits placed on the wealthy under the pretense of free speech as provided by the first amendment. In order to prevent further dissemination to the balance of equality amongst the classes within the United States, it is imperative for Congress to start the implementation of a detailed Constitutional Amendment defining

  • The Pros And Cons Of Super Pacs

    822 Words  | 2 Pages

    Tinker v. Des Moines and Johnson v. Texas would, to some, conflict with cases like Schenck v. United States. The line drawn on the issue of free speech to others may be blurry, but to me, it has always been crystal clear. So when Super PACs, Political Action Committees that can donate unlimited funds to an independent cause, arose, I concurred with the Supreme Court’s decision to protect free speech. To most it seems, Super PACs are just evil PACs, and they, unlike regular PACs, ruin elections. They

  • Campaign Financing

    2443 Words  | 5 Pages

    The first main attempt to regulate campaign financing occurred in 1971 with the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA). The act set requirements for disclosure of contributions to federal campaigns, both presidential and congressional. The main regulation to financing occurred though after its amendment in 1974. After reports of big financial abuses in the 1972 presidential election and the Watergate scandal, people wanted more constraints on financing particularly those from special interest groups

  • Gomillion V Lightfoot Analysis

    2118 Words  | 5 Pages

    The case of Gomillion v Lightfoot is a Supreme Court case ruling on the 15th amendment. The case has to do with an act of the Alabama legislature re-drew the electoral district boundaries of Tuskegee, and to replace what had been a area with a square shape into a 28 sided figure. The consequence of the new district was to exclude essentially all blacks from the city limits of Tuskegee and place them in a district where no whites lived. This caused voter dilution, which diminishes a minority group's

  • Money And Politics: The Influence Of Money In Politics

    1620 Words  | 4 Pages

    it all when I was younger but I was able to recognize that there were a lot of citizens who were disgruntled with their government’s progress. For example, as of August 2014, congresses’ approval rating is only 14% (Riffkin, 2014). As I’ve aged I realized that the recent Supreme Court decisions regarding corporate money and personal spending limits have made the government a less effective tool for the American citizens and that is why I’ve chosen to write on the influence of money in politics. I

  • Campaign Finance Reform

    2679 Words  | 6 Pages

    developed extensively in the past forty years, as the courts have attempted to create federal elections that best sustain the ideals of a representative democracy. In the most recent Supreme Court decision concerning campaign finance, Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, the Court essentially decided to treat corporations like individuals by allowing corporations to spend money on federal elections through unlimited independent expenditures. In order to understand how the Supreme Court

  • Campaign Finance Reform Analysis

    1344 Words  | 3 Pages

    that have occurred throughout the 2016 election thus far. Democratic Presidential Candidate Bernie Sanders and Republican Presidential Candidate Donald Trump have both used the Campaign Finance Reform (CFR) debate as a means to garner additional support from people who feel that “big money” i.e. corporations and the super wealthy, have influenced politics for far too long. “Big money” in politics is an issue that needs to be addressed. With each new election cycle the amount of money being poured

  • Supreme Court Decision Making Case Study

    1215 Words  | 3 Pages

    1. What Supreme Court decision fundamentally changed how election campaigns can now be financed in the U.S.? What is at the heart of this decision? The choice in the Supreme Court instance of Citizen's United generally changed how campaigns would now be able to be back in the U.S. It enables companies to spend boundless/unlimited measures of cash for or against an applicant. Nonetheless, cash can't go straightforwardly to the applicants. It needs to go to free outside gatherings/interest groups.

  • The Importance Of Censorship In Schools

    1518 Words  | 4 Pages

    In the United States, students have slightly different rights in school than outside of school. While outside of school, students are considered and viewed as normal members of society. However, when in school, different things are expected of students. That is why students have slightly different rights in school than outside. The supreme court has taken many cases related to students that cover all areas of their rights. This paper will cover three main areas of student rights: censorship, privacy

  • Campaign Finance Reform Literature Review

    1700 Words  | 4 Pages

    heart of all citizens, these citizens need to have a stronger voice when it comes to elections. This is why the implementation of an amendment that reforms the financing of campaigns is disputed greatly among scholars and political officials alike. The Supreme Court has ruled that corporations are entitled to first amendment rights, but the basis of this ruling is unclear. Unfortunately the overturning of such a ruling would not even guarantee a restored democracy to American elections. Some professionals

  • Buckley Valeo Pros And Cons

    818 Words  | 2 Pages

    Buckley V. Valeo was a landmark case in political funding and donations. It has great precedents as what is legally defined as donations, and contribution compared to expenditures. Buckley V. Valeo was argued over the last few months of 1975 and into January of 1976 where the decision was made on the 30th . The final decision, there must be some reasonable limit on campaign contributions however it is unconstitutional to hold expenditure limits. To further understand this reason Americans must know

  • The Relationship Between Government And Non-Profit Organizations

    701 Words  | 2 Pages

    Government and the nonprofit sector often intersect in modern life within the United States. Throughout the years, the relationship of the two has expanded. The government is very dependent on the nonprofit sector to carry out services that would otherwise be left purely to the government. The government then provides monetary assistance to the independent sector to help ensure that the services are being appropriately carried out, while making certain that nonprofit organizations are authentic

  • We, the Corporations, of the United States of America

    1571 Words  | 4 Pages

    We, The Corporations, Of The United States Of America At first glance, it seems implausible the word democracy isn't written in the United States Constitution, or in the Preamble of the Constitution, or even in the Declaration of Independence. One would assume a concept so paramount to modern American culture would surely be derived from one of its oldest and most endeared documents. Alas, it is not. The Constitution only specifically mentions two entities, the government and “We the People”. Defining

  • Super Pacs Pros And Cons

    1871 Words  | 4 Pages

    spending on elections in January 2010 (Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission). Although not directly addressed in that case, related, subsequent litigation (SpeechNow v. Federal Election Commission) and Federal Election Commission (FEC) activity gave rise to a new form of political committee. These entities, known as super PACs or independent-expenditure-only committees (IE OCs), may accept unlimited contributions and make unlimited expenditures aimed at electing or defeating federal candidates

  • Analysis Of Hale V. Henkel Case

    701 Words  | 2 Pages

    principles. Because of this, the economy is best described as being a managed economy. A managed economy is a non-market economy in which the government has influence over price determination and the distribution of goods and services. Due to the large federal presence in business, corporations often lobby for politicians whose agenda aligns with their profit margins. In this pursuit of political backing, a phenomenon emerges called corporate personhood. Corporate personhood is the idea that human rights