Supreme Court ruling on campaign finance may have huge impact on 2010

[cal04]

By Reid Wilson
http://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/57553-high-court-ruling-may-have-huge-impact-on-2010-elections

The Supreme Court on Wednesday will hear arguments from campaign finance reform advocates and opponents in a case many insiders say will be the most significant decision in more than 35 years.

The case the court will hear, Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, has the potential to overturn key elements of campaign finance law that prevent corporate spending on elections, a move that would open the door to millions of dollars that could not be spent previously.

"This is the biggest case in campaign finance law, really, since Buckley v. Valeo in 1976," said Rob Kelner, a partner at Covington & Burling and a leading Republican election lawyer. "It has the potential to make the 2010 election the first one in the living memory of most American adults in which huge volumes of corporate money are thrown into the process."

That decision "would have a devastating impact for citizens and for the democratic process," said Fred Wertheimer, president of Democracy 21, a pro-reform group. "It would unleash the immense wealth of corporations on Washington government decisionmaking and open the door to enormous amounts to be spent by corporations to buy influence with federal officeholders."

[azul]

1. Whoops, too late.

"enormous amounts to be spent by corporations to buy influence with federal officeholders."


I guess the president has shut the back door on the corporate lobbyists, so they just come banging at the front? Or are real people really this screwed?

[scarletwoman]

2. The prospect of SCOTUS ruling in favor of the corporations is simply too awful to contemplate.

Not that our so-called democracy isn't already pretty much a sham anyway, but this would certainly pound the final nail in the coffin.

sw