The United States Supreme Court, on a 5-4 vote with conservatives in the majority, voted to overturn a series of laws that prohibit corporations and labor unions from running advertisements about candidates or issues. The majority ruled that these laws were an infringement of free speech, while left in place laws that prohibit corporations or labor unions from giving money directly to a candidate.
What are your thoughts, a freedom of speech issue or even more ability for big business to buy elections.
A major U.S. Supreme Court ruling on campaign finance Tuesday could alter drastically who gives and gets hundreds of millions of dollars ahead of the November congressional elections.
The top U.S. court threw out a 63-year-old law designed to restrain the influence of big business and unions, ruling that corporations may spend as freely as they like to support or oppose candidates for president and Congress.
By a 5-4 vote, the court overturned two of its own decisions as well as the law that said companies and labor unions could be prohibited from using money from their general treasuries to produce and run their own campaign ads. The decision threatens similar limits imposed by 24 states.
It leaves in place a prohibition on direct contributions to candidates from corporations and unions.
