Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010)

Your last required SCOTUS case is Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010).

Ensure that you know the needed information as you move forward in this course and as you prepare for the AP exam.

Review the Street Law Case Summary for Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010) and make sure that you understand the needed information for this SCOTUS case.

SCOTUS Cases Involving the First Amendment - Provisions of the US Constitution’s Bill of Rights are continually being interpreted to balance the power of the government and the civil liberties of individuals.

Does a law that limits the ability of corporations and labor unions to spend their own money to advocate the election or defeat of a candidate violate the First Amendment’s guarantee of free speech?

Relevance of the case: Political spending by corporations, associations, and labor unions is a form of protected speech under the First Amendment.
Discuss the facts.
Identify the Constitutional Issue(s).
Discuss the Holding and Constitutional Principles.
Discuss the Reasoning.
Summarize the Opinion.
Explain the Impact - One example of a current event/scenario is the issue of Hobby Lobby owners' objections to contraception requirements in Obamacare. What are some similarities and differences between the case and the scenario?

Comparison Cases:

McCutcheon v. FEC (2014) – First Amendment / speech, aggregate contributions to political committees and candidates
FEC v. Wisconsin Right to Life (2007) – First Amendment/speech, issue ads
Randall v. Sorrell (2006) – First Amendment / speech, limits on campaign contributions and spending

Download a summary of the case here. Then, please watch the videos below.

Before taking the SCOTUS FRQ Test, review the GOV - FRQ 3: SCOTUS Comparison Lesson found in the AP U.S. Government and Politics Course Overview (GOV).

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