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Difficulty: HardCampaign Finance and Citizens United v. FEC

The table below displays different potential comparisons between two landmark campaign finance cases decided by the Supreme Court:

Comparison*Buckley v. Valeo* (1976)*Citizens United v. FEC* (2010)
IUpheld federal limits on individual campaign contributions to candidates.Struck down bans on independent expenditures by corporations and labor unions.
IIRuled that political spending is not protected by the First Amendment.Allowed corporations to donate unlimited funds directly to candidates' campaigns.
IIIRuled that candidates cannot spend unlimited amounts of their own personal money.Upheld restrictions on corporate-sponsored electioneering communications.
IVDeclared traditional political action committees (PACs) unconstitutional.Limited political advocacy and independent expenditures to participatory interest groups.

Which of the comparisons in the table is accurate?

  1. Comparison IAnswer
  2. B
    Comparison II
  3. C
    Comparison III
  4. D
    Comparison IV

Answer

Comparison I
Comparison I is correct because *Buckley v. Valeo* (1976) ruled that the government could limit direct contributions to candidate campaigns to prevent corruption or the appearance of corruption, while *Citizens United v. FEC* (2010) struck down limits on independent political expenditures by corporations and labor unions, ruling that such expenditures are protected speech under the First Amendment.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the ruling in *Buckley v. Valeo* (1976) regarding campaign contribution limits.
Identify that the Court upheld limits on direct contributions to candidate campaigns as a valid measure to prevent corruption, but struck down limits on independent expenditures and self-funding.
To verify the accuracy of the first column of comparisons in the table.
2
Analyze the ruling in *Citizens United v. FEC* (2010) regarding independent corporate expenditures.
Identify that the Court struck down restrictions on independent expenditures by corporations and labor unions, citing First Amendment speech protections, while maintaining bans on direct contributions to candidates.
To verify the accuracy of the second column of comparisons in the table.
3
Compare the verified holdings against the choices in the table.
Confirm that only Comparison I accurately represents the legal outcomes of both landmark cases.
To select the correct response based on constitutional precedent.

Key Concept

Distinguishing judicial precedents on campaign finance, contribution limits, and corporate independent expenditures under the First Amendment.
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Topics

Campaign Finance and Citizens United v. FEC

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