Download First Amendment Rights and Campaign Finance Law: A Look at Landmark Supreme Court Cases and more Quizzes Communication and Development studies in PDF only on Docsity! TERM 1 Citizens United v. FEC DEFINITION 1 2010 decision; the Court overturned its earlier precedents restricting corporate- funded speech about candidates; the use of corporate funds to pay for speech about candidates is now fully protected by the 1st Amendment; after this ruling, corporations can now buy advertising on behalf of candidates, but still cannot contribute directly to candidates; SC ruled that corporations, like citizens and political groups, have a constitutional right to expend money for advertising supporting/opposing a candidate; places a new emphasis on disclosure of campaign expenditures, a requirement central to campaign finance law; under this ruling, campaign law may not limit the amount of money a corporation, union, or individual spends on behalf of a candidate, but disclosure is necessary; until this case took place, the Court supported restrictions on corporate/union spending relating to candidates; thisruling rejected quid pro quo corruption and preventing distortion of the electoral process TERM 2 First National Bank v. Bellotti DEFINITION 2 founded on the right of citizens to receive political speech by corporations; the SC ruled for the bank, saying citizens have the right to receive political info. about a tax referendum TERM 3 Virginia State Board of Pharmacy v. Virginia Citizens Consumer Council DEFINITION 3 the Court said that a state statute prohibiting price advertising of prescription drugs violated citizens' first amendment right to receive information; decided 2 years before Bellotti TERM 4 Consolidated Edison Co. of New York Inc. v. Public Service Commission of New York, Inc. DEFINITION 4 the Court struck down a state regulation barring the utility from including political brochures in its monthly bills; the Court said: "The First Amendment means that the government has no power to restrict expression because of its message, its ideas, its subject matter, or its content" TERM 5 Pacific Gas & Electric Co. v. Public Utilities Commission of California DEFINITION 5 The SC ruled that a California utility could not be forced to include a newsletter from a consumer group in the company's billing envelopes; the Court overturned a Public Utilities Commission regulation requiring the utility to include materials from a consumer group that often challenged PG&E in rate-making proceedings TERM 6 Miami Herald Publishing Co. v. Tornillo DEFINITION 6 the Court ruled that it was unconstitutional to force a newspaper to publish a reply by a political candidate the paper attacked editorially. TERM 7 Cyber Promotions v. America Online Inc. DEFINITION 7 Court held that advertising agencies cannot require online service providers to carry commercial material on the Internet; a federal court said that America online had the right to prevent Cyber Promotions, an internet advertising co., from sending 1.9 million of its clients ads per day to AOL subscribers without paying AOL or obtaining their permission TERM 8 Buckley v. Valeo DEFINITION 8 "the concept that gov't may restrict the speech of some elements of our society in order to enhance the relative voice of others is wholly foreign to the First Amendment" TERM 9 Austin v. Michigan Chamber of Commerce DEFINITION 9 1990 decision upholding a state restriction on corporate spending on behalf of candidates, similar to FECA's restriction, and in McConnell v. FEC TERM 10 McConnell v. FEC DEFINITION 10 a 2003 decision upholding BCRA's "electioneering communication" provision
