Second Thoughts on Citizens United Decision

Stevens: Second thoughts likely in Citizens United

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) - Former U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens has said he expects the court has already had second thoughts about parts of its controversial Citizens United ruling that eased restrictions on corporate spending in political campaigns.

The sharply divided court ruled that independent spending by corporations does "not give rise to corruption or the appearance of corruption." Stevens, who dissented from that 2010 decision, said that at some point the court will have to issue an opinion "explicitly crafting an exception that will create a crack in the foundation" of that ruling.

Speaking to hundreds of people at a Wednesday night event in Little Rock, the retired justice said President Obama accurately criticized the ruling for reversing a century of law and allowing special interest groups to pump money into elections.

For the full Associate Press story, click here.

In other news related to the Citizens United decision, Kentucky Congressman John Yarmuth recently praised Kentucky Attorney General Jack Conway for taking a stand on a Montana case tied to the fate of the Citizens United decision.  Yarmuth introduced legislation late last year to combat the Citizens United decision and the flood of anonymous money that it has allowed to influence our elections.

For a great video explaining the Citizens United Supreme Court Decision, visit an earlier KFTC blog post here.