From Bloomberg.
A divided U.S. Supreme Court threw out Montana’s ban on corporate campaign spending in a reaffirmation of the 2010 decision that unleashed super-PACs and left federal elections awash in money from big spenders.
Deciding they didn’t need to hear arguments, the justices today summarily reversed a Montana Supreme Court decision upholding the state’s century-old ban. The state court had ruled the law’s limits could stand for state elections even after Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, the two-year-old Supreme Court ruling that let corporations and unions spend unlimited sums.
The court’s unsigned opinion in the 5-4 ruling said the case asked whether Citizens United applied to a state law. “There can be no serious doubt that it does,” the court said.
“Montana’s arguments in support” of the lower court ruling “either were already rejected in Citizens United or fail to meaningfully distinguish that case,” the opinion said.
The majority was identical to the 5-4 Citizens United decision, which altered the national political landscape and opened the way for campaign spending by outside groups to more than double from the level four years ago.
What this affirms is that conservative-leaning corporations will have the same opportunity to spend money just like the leftwing corporations who support the DemLeft.
Related articles:
- SCOTUS Hands Victory to Supporters of Citizens United (commentarymagazine.com)
- Court affirms Citizens United ruling (thehill.com)
- The Supreme Court strikes down Montana’s limits on campaign finance, reaffirms Citizens United ruling (twitchy.com)