NEWS FLASH

Retired Supreme Court Justice Thinks the Court Is Rethinking Its Decision in Citizens United | Speaking in Little Rock, Arkansas on Wednesday, retired Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens said he “expect[s] the the Court already has had second thoughts about the breadth of the reasoning in [Citizens United].” Stevens outlines four events that suggest the current court is rethinking its holding that the law cannot distinguish between actual people and corporations, including recent decisions allowing distinctions among certain kinds of speakers. These include a law prohibiting speech supporting a terrorist organization, even when the speech is expert advice intended only to support the group’s nonviolent activities, and a prohibition on foreigners making independent expenditures or direct contributions to campaigns. Stevens also agreed with President Obama’s criticisms of the Citizens United decision, stating his observations that it reversed a century of law, would increase interest group spending on elections, and opened the door to election spending by foreign corporations were “important and accurate.”

–Alex Brown