Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, and the Inherent Unfairness to the “Un-united” American Citizen

Among contemporary United States Supreme Court rulings that have impacted the structure of our nation, the 2010 case Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission resulted in significant political campaign finance reform that gave rise to an election system influenced by money, corporations, and powerful individuals. The ruling of Citizens United allows for the unlimited spending of corporations and labor unions on political expenditures and the limited disclosures of these campaign donors. This overturned precedent established in the 1990 case Austin v. Michigan Chamber of Commerce and the 2003 case McConnell v. Federal Election Commission, the respective rulings of which shaped the way campaign donations were regulated and maintained in political elections. The subsequent deregulation of corporate money financing political campaigns as a result of this ruling places Citizens United among the most iniquitous and decadent rulings of the Supreme Court of the United States