Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission Preview

Panelists discussed upcoming the Supreme Court case Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (FEC). The case stems from a lower court case appeal in which the United States District Court for the District of Columbia sided with the FEC that Hillary: The Movie could not be shown on television right before the 2008 Democratic primaries under the McCain-Feingold Act. The ruling could change a century-long precedent that allows the government to ban corporations from spending money to support political candidates. This case was originally heard by the Court in March 2009. The Court asked the attorneys involved to provide additional briefs and rescheduled this case before the start of the term. It wwould be Justice Sonia Sotomayor’s first oral argument at the Supreme Court, and Solicitor General Elena Kagan’s first time arguing before the Court.

Topics included history of the case and other related cases. Joan Bikupic moderated. Following their discussion, panelists responded close