By Democracy 21 President Fred Wertheimer In Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, the Supreme Court recently issued a radical decision that overturned two decades of Court precedents and a national policy that had its origins more than a century ago. The Court in a 5 to 4 decision declared unconstitutional a longstanding ban on […]

National JournalBrave New World Of Political Spending For NonprofitsCharities And Other 501(c) Groups Could Find Themselves In An Uncomfortable SpotBy Eliza Newlin CarneyMarch 15, 2010 In the wake of the Supreme Court’s recent ruling to deregulate corporate political spending, public attention has focused squarely on whether businesses and for-profit companies will now lavish big money […]

Associated Press Legislatures push back against campaign rulingBy Tom Breen  March 13, 2010 The U.S. Supreme Court’s rejection of decades-old campaign spending limits gives states scant time to face an election-year puzzle: Brace for a flood of new money in politics or find new ways to rein it in. Within days of the ruling, state […]

The question has been raised about whether the policy to ban corporate contributions and expenditures in federal elections dates back to 1947 or to 1907. It is clear from the history of the law that the policy to ban corporate expenditures originated in 1907. In 1907, Congress enacted legislation to prohibit corporations from "directly or […]