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| | | Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (docket #: 07-953) (2010)
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Secondary Link
| Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission
[Legal Information Institute]
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Argument Date
| 09/09/2009 |
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Decided
| 1/21/2010 |
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Supreme Court Vote
| 5-4 |
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Note
| The case was first argued on 3/24/09. Afterward, the Court ordered the case to be reargued. The Court asked the parties to brief the isssue of whether Austin v. Michigan (1990) & McConnell v. FEC (2003) should be overruled. |
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Supreme Court Ruling
| First Amendment claim sustained on corporate spending provisions; denied as to the disclosure requirements. |
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| | | Issue | (1.) Whether federal campaign-finance law provisions prohibiting corporate and union independent spending violate the First Amendment. (2) Whether federal campaign-law provisions imposing disclaimer and disclosure requirements violate the First Amendment. | |
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Majority Opinion
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Justice Anthony Kennedy |
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Concurring Opinion
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Justices Antonin Scalia (joined by Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas in part); Chief Justice John Roberts (joined by Alito); Thomas (concurring in part and dissenting in part) |
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Dissenting Opinion
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Justice John Paul Stevens (joined by Justices Stephen Breyer, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor). Dissent on disclosure: Thomas. |
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Certiorari Granted
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11/14/2008 |
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Lower Court
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District Court for the District of Washington (3-judge panel) |
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Lower Court Ruling
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First Amendment claim denied. |
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Oral Arguments
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transcript (03/24/09)
transcript (09/09/09)
audio file (09/09/09)
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| Lawyers |
Solicitor General Elena Kagan
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Floyd Abrams (Senator Mitch McConnell, as amicus curiae, in support of appellant)
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Sex Waxman (Senators John McCain, et al., as amici curiae, in support of appellee)
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| Briefs |
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| Tony Mauro Analysis |
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| Opinion - Lower Court |
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| News |
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| Other |
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| Commentary |
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