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During the 2024 elections, political advertisers spent tens of billions of dollars trying to will their preferred candidates into office. The groundwork for this historic spending spree, however, was actually laid exactly 15 years ago.
The U.S. Supreme Court, on Jan. 21, 2010, opened the floodgates of campaign spending by striking down a ban on limiting corporations, unions, and other types of groups from placing independent expenditures to support or oppose candidates. The court’s 5-4 decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission continues to divide Democrats and Republicans over key questions about wealth, political influence, and freedom of speech.