Citizens United v. FEC
The landmark 2010 Supreme Court decision that ruled corporations and unions have First Amendment rights to spend unlimited amounts on independent political expenditures.
Understanding Citizens United v. FEC
Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (558 U.S. 310, 2010) is the Supreme Court decision that fundamentally reshaped American campaign finance law. The case arose when Citizens United, a conservative nonprofit, sought to air a film critical of Hillary Clinton within 30 days of a primary election, which was prohibited by the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 (McCain-Feingold).
In a 5-4 decision, the Court ruled that the government cannot restrict independent political expenditures by corporations, associations, or labor unions, holding that such spending constitutes protected speech under the First Amendment. The decision overturned portions of the BCRA and prior precedent (Austin v. Michigan Chamber of Commerce, 1990). The practical effect was to allow corporations and unions to spend unlimited amounts from their treasuries on independent expenditures -- communications that support or oppose candidates without coordinating with their campaigns.
This decision, combined with the D.C. Circuit's SpeechNow.org v. FEC ruling later in 2010, led to the creation of Super PACs. Citizens United did not directly change lobbying law, but it significantly expanded the influence ecosystem by allowing organizations to combine lobbying with unlimited electoral spending.
Organizations that lobby heavily can now also spend unlimited amounts supporting or opposing the same officials they lobby, creating a more integrated influence infrastructure. The decision remains one of the most controversial in modern American jurisprudence.
Related Glossary Terms
Super PAC
An independent expenditure-only committee that may raise unlimited sums from corporations, unions, associations, and individuals to spend on elections, but cannot coordinate with candidates or parties.
Dark Money
Political spending by nonprofit organizations that are not required to disclose their donors, making the original source of funding untraceable.
Political Action Committee (PAC)
A registered political committee that raises and spends money to elect or defeat candidates, subject to contribution limits and disclosure requirements under the Federal Election Campaign Act.
Campaign Finance
The system of laws, regulations, and practices governing the raising and spending of money in political campaigns for public office.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does citizens united v. fec mean?
The landmark 2010 Supreme Court decision that ruled corporations and unions have First Amendment rights to spend unlimited amounts on independent political expenditures.
Why is citizens united v. fec important in lobbying?
Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (558 U.S. 310, 2010) is the Supreme Court decision that fundamentally reshaped American campaign finance law. The case arose when Citizens United, a conservative nonprofit, sought to air a film critical of Hillary Clinton within 30 days of a primary ele...
this entity is one of the U.S. federal lobbying disclosure concepts that recurs across this site. The definition above is the technical answer; the paragraphs below add the practical context for how the concept connects to the the Senate Lobbying Disclosure Office LD-2 filings data behind every per-entity page on the site.
In the the Senate Lobbying Disclosure Office LD-2 filings data, this concept shapes one or more of the fields that drive the per-entity grades and rankings on this site. The methodology page describes which fields feed into which output; this glossary entry documents the underlying term.
Source: U.S. Senate Lobbying Disclosure Act database, 2026.