Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA, 1971; amended by BCRA 2002)

1) Link to the Text of the Act
Read the statute (52 U.S.C. § 30101 et seq.)

2) Why It Was Done
FECA was enacted to regulate campaign finance, requiring disclosure of contributions and expenditures, setting limits on donations, and establishing enforcement mechanisms.

3) Pre-existing Law or Constitutional Rights
Earlier laws like the Tillman Act (1907) and the Federal Corrupt Practices Act (1925) attempted campaign finance reform but were weakly enforced. FECA created a comprehensive framework.

Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010)

1) Link to the Actual Opinion
Read the U.S. Reports opinion (PDF)

2) Summary of the Opinion
Citizens United, a nonprofit, produced a film critical of Hillary Clinton during the 2008 Democratic primaries. The Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRA) restricted such electioneering communications by corporations and unions. The Supreme Court ruled 5–4 that these restrictions violated the First Amendment, holding that corporations and unions have the same free speech rights as individuals in the context of political spending.