Supreme Court Decides Buckley v. Valeo, Unleashing Corporate Money in Politics

The Supreme Court ruled in Buckley v. Valeo that spending money on elections is a form of free speech protected by the First Amendment. While upholding contribution limits, the decision struck down expenditure limits, creating a fundamental asymmetry that would enable unlimited corporate influence through independent expenditures. This decision laid the groundwork for the explosion of corporate PACs and the eventual Citizens United ruling.