Examkin

Question

Difficulty: MediumCampaign Finance and Citizens United v. FEC

The following table shows data on campaign spending in congressional elections from 2006 to 2014:

Election CyclePAC Contributions to Candidates (Millions)Independent Expenditures by Outside Groups (Millions)
2006$372.4$68.9
2008$412.8$143.5
2010$431.2$309.8
2012$453.6$1,004.5
2014$471.1$561.6

Which of the following best explains the trend in independent expenditures by outside groups shown in the table?

  1. A
    The Supreme Court in *Citizens United v. FEC* legalized direct, unlimited corporate and labor union contributions to candidate campaigns, bypassing traditional political action committees.
  2. B
    The Court declared that campaign donations are a natural right, meaning that any limits on individual contributions violate the social contract between citizens and the government.
  3. The Supreme Court ruled in *Citizens United v. FEC* that the First Amendment protects independent political expenditures by corporations and unions, enabling a surge in outside group spending.Answer
  4. D
    The Court restricted independent expenditures to promote a participatory model of democracy, ensuring that average citizens have greater electoral influence than elite interest groups.

Answer

The Supreme Court ruled in *Citizens United v. FEC* that the First Amendment protects independent political expenditures by corporations and unions, enabling a surge in outside group spending.
The correct answer is correct because the Supreme Court's ruling in *Citizens United v. FEC* (2010) established that corporations, associations, and labor unions have a First Amendment right to spend unlimited amounts of money on independent political communications. This ruling directly led to a rapid increase in independent expenditures by outside groups (such as Super PACs) in subsequent election cycles, as illustrated by the data.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the table to identify the trend in independent expenditures by outside groups.
Independent expenditures grew dramatically after 2008, increasing from 143.5milliontoover143.5 million to over 1 billion by 2012.
This establishes the empirical pattern that needs to be explained by a constitutional or legal change around the year 2010.
2
Connect the post-2010 increase in outside spending to key campaign finance developments.
The landmark Supreme Court decision *Citizens United v. FEC* was decided in 2010.
This temporal correlation points to the ruling as the primary driver of the sudden spending growth.
3
Recall the legal holding and constitutional basis of *Citizens United v. FEC*.
The Court held that the First Amendment's Free Speech Clause prohibits the government from restricting independent expenditures by corporations and labor unions.
This legal holding explains the mechanism that allowed the surge of unlimited independent expenditures seen in the data.

Key Concept

The constitutional ruling in *Citizens United v. FEC* and its effect on independent campaign spending.
Estimated Time:1m 30s
Rate this question

Topics

Campaign Finance and Citizens United v. FEC

More questions from this topic