Supreme Court Today Upholds Constitutionality of Ban on Campaign Contributions and Expenditures from Foreign Nationals

Statement of Democracy 21 President Fred Wertheimer

Democracy 21 is pleased that the Supreme Court today issued a summary affirmance of a lower court ruling that correctly upheld the constitutionality of the ban on contributions and expenditures by foreign nationals in U.S. elections.

In a decision issued last August in the case of Bluman v. FEC, a three-judge district court in Washington, D.C held that the longstanding ban on contributions and expenditures by foreign nationals to influence our elections serves compelling interests in protecting the political process from interference by foreign interests.  

The plaintiffs appealed this decision to the Supreme Court and the Court today issued a one-line summary affirmance of the lower court decision.

Today’s decision shows that the Court’s determination in the Citizens United case to use the First Amendment to open our elections to a wave of corrupting corporate wealth at least stops at the nation’s shores, and that U.S. elections won’t be invaded by foreign wealth as well.