There was a bright spot in Monday’s Supreme Court rulings after the defeat handed down on Arizona’s immigration law, SB1070. In the case of American Tradition Partnership, Inc. v. Bullock, the five majority Justices made it very clear that they intended to solidify their ruling in the Citizens United case from January 2010.
The primary issue in this case was: does the holding in the case of Citizens United apply to the states?
In a very brief “Per Curiam” opinion, the majority Justices stated:
Montana’s arguments in support of the judgment below either were already rejected in Citizens United, or fail to meaningfully distinguish that case.
In other words, yes, the decision in Citizens United does indeed apply to the states. The idea that Montana Attorney General Steve Bullock believed that it did not apply was utterly absurd.
It is worth noting that four Justices still dissent and seem to believe that the entire Citizens United ruling should be overturned. This alone should be ample motivation to make sure President Obama is not re-elected, given the possibility there will be two vacancies on the Court in the next four years.
The majority Justices ruled correctly in this case, and in so doing strengthened the ruling in Citizens United while upholding the First Amendment.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.