Supreme Court Strikes Down Montana Law Against Corporate Political Spending

The Supreme Court had a chance to correct its mistake with Citizens United today – but chose not to. In another 5-to-4 ruling, the Conservative justices struck down a Montana law that banned corporate spending in state elections – and ruled that it's 2010 Citizens United decision applies not just to federal elections – but state elections as well. Twenty-two states, plus the District of Columbia, and several lawmakers urged the high court to hear oral arguments in the case and re-litigate Citizens United now that the damage of the decision is clearly on display two years later. Right-wing Justice Anthony Kennedy ruled in 2010 that corporate spending in our elections, "do[es] not give rise to corruption or the appearance of corruption." But today, with billionaires like Sheldon Adelson and the Koch Brothers pledging to spend a half billion dollars to elect Mitt Romney – you'd have to be born yesterday to believe that the money comes with no strings attached. Thanks to the Roberts Court, American oligarchs aren't making campaign contributions – they're making investments and, day by day, getting big returns on those investments.