In a decision that could undermine the integrity of federal and state elected institutions, a divided Supreme Court in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission ruled ^[1] that the First Amendment guarantee of free speech means that corporations can spend unlimited sums to help elect favored candidates or defeat those they oppose. The ruling reverses well-established law and erodes a wall that has stood for a century between special interests and electoral politics.

U.S. Programs grantees Doug Kendall of the Constitutional Accountability Center ^[2] and Susan Liss of the Brennan Center for Justice ^[3] spoke at OSI on the implications of the ruling.  Both Doug and Susan were involved in the litigation, have spoken and written about the issues involved before and since the decision, and are deeply engaged in finding solutions to the problems the ruling engenders.