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Supreme Court rejects corporate spending limit

The US Supreme Court in Citizens United v Federal Election Commission, by a 5-4 majority, ruled that the government may not ban political spending by corporations in candidate elections because doing so would be in non-compliance with the free speech clause in the American Constitution. Since 1947, companies have been barred from using general-treasury dollars in support of or in opposition to a candidate. The ruling, which overturned two previous Supreme Court decisions, would allow companies to spend millions of dollars on their own campaign advertisements, potentially punishing or rewarding lawmakers for their votes on legislation. The ruling divided the court along ideological lines due to the influence corporations may have on future election campaigns to promote their interests.