Campaign Finance and Free Speech
Response to the Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission Decision
Attempts to limit the influence of money on American politics date back to the 1860s, when the first Federal campaign finance law prohibited government employees from soliciting funds from naval yard workers. Ever since then, Congress and the courts have wrangled over how much money candidates can accept from donors and how they can spend it. The history of modern campaign finance reform begins with the Federal Election Campaign Act. The 1972 law, and subsequent amendments, created a broad regulatory framework for Federal campaigns, limiting donations by individuals and political action committees and requiring for the first time that candidates…
