Supreme Court to Rehear Citizens United

Hans von Spakovsky / June 29, 2009

The Ricci decision will get everyone’s attention today and deservedly so, but there is another important case still to be decided by the Supreme Court. In a very rare move, the Court did not issue a decision on the last day of its term in Citizens United v. FEC, a case filed by a conservative non-profit. The case contested restrictions in federal campaign-finance law limiting its distribution of a 90-minute documentary critical of Hillary Clinton when she was presidential candidate. Instead, the Court ordered rearguments on September 9. The Court directed the parties to answer the following question: “For the disposition of this case, should the Court overrule either or both Austin v. Michigan Chamber of Commerce, and a part of McConnell v. FEC, which addresses the facial validity of Section 203 of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002?” (more…)