• Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission is an important case. This may be one of the most important cases that we see in our lifetimes, because it’ll have a direct effect on who gets elected, what laws get passed, and who can say what during an election. It’s such an important case that the dissenting opinion is as important as the decision itself. So, here goes.

The case at hand:

• It was about a movie that trashed Hillary Clinton. The producers of “Hillary the Movie,” which was designed by a highly-funded conservative nonprofit political organization to smear the then-presidential candidate, wanted to show the film during the 2008 primaries, but couldn’t because of campaign finance laws (most notably, one passed by John McCain and Russ Feingold back in 2002). Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission had a narrow scope, and dealt with a small part of campaign finance law.

Key points in campaign finance reform:

• 1971 The Federal Election Campaign Act passes, requiring campaigns to report hard-money contributors to their campaigns, but leaving the door for “soft money” contributions wide open.
• 1990 Austin v. Michigan Chamber of Commerce was decided by the Supreme Court, a key decision which upheld the longstanding restriction on corporate speech that could influence elections.
• 2002 The McCain-Feingold Act passed, which limited so-called “soft money” contributions and limited the broadcast of corporate and non-profit political messages near elections, passes.

Main points of the majority opinion:

• Chilling political speech Anthony Kennedy’s opinion argues that the “speech that is central to the meaning and purpose of the First Amendment” is getting frozen with current campaign finance laws, despite their good intentions.
• Broad, not narrow Instead of focusing on the narrow view of Citizens United, the court decided to widely interpret the law, rendering nearly 100 years of campaign finance laws and judicial rulings useless.
• Corporate ad crazy The court decided to overturn some of the most important elements of Austin and McCain-Feingold, so now we can be barraged with annoying political ads all the way up to election day!

Why John Paul Stevens is awesome:

• 89the age of John Paul Stevens, the Supreme Court’s oldest justice and also its most liberal
• 90 number of pages of pure, unadulterated dissent from Johnny boy; not bad bro source

The main point of his (mostly) dissenting opinion:

• The Court’s ruling threatens to undermine the integrity of elected institutions across the Nation. The path it has taken to reach its outcome will, I fear, do damage to this institution.
• John Paul Stevens • In his lengthy, massive dissenting opinion in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, probably the most dramatic decision the court has made in at least a decade, due to the impact it has on the electoral process. He apologizes for the length for the document before leaping in. But he really had to. This thing is huge – it’s nearly twice the size of the opinion it refutes. source

What does all this mean for you, ShortFormBlog fan?

• one Corporate influence is once again going to be a major factor in political campaigns. And they won’t have any limits on their speech.
• two You’re going see more ads on TV in the days leading up to major elections. The ads could be from corporations or nonprofits.
• three If Fred Thompson runs for president again, TNT can air repeats of his episodes of “Law and Order” all the way up until election day. source

• His drop-out completely fragments the race. Colorado’s first-term governor, who won on the strength of his own party and the fragmentation of the other guys in 2006, found himself in a different situation in 2010. Among other things, his decisions sometimes ran counter to his party’s, especially the appointment of Michael Bennet to the Senate. And, learning from their mistakes, the Republicans got behind a strong candidate, former Congressman Scott McInnis, early. It’s drop-out day, guys! source

• Obama’s big plan for 2010: Financial industry regulation. Unfortunately for Obama, Chris Dodd has been having trouble working with ranking Republican Sen. Richard Shelby on the plan. While the lack of electoral pressures might make it easier for Dodd to focus on it, it also makes it just as easy for the Republicans to stall until next year, when a more moderate Democrat (or based on how things go, a Republican) might chair the Senate Banking Committee. source

• The North Dakota senator was seen as super-vulnerable. The clock is ticking on the Democratic supermajority in the Senate, which promises to have many kinks in its armor come November. With Dorgan’s retirement, the seat will likely flip to the Republican column. Even before this, he was seen as one of the most vulnerable senators. Peace, brah. Loved the three terms. source

• We strongly condemn the violent and unjust suppression of civilians in Iran seeking to exercise their universal rights. Hope and history are on the side of those who peacefully seek their universal rights, and so is the United States.
• White House National Security Council spokesman Mike Hammer • Condemning the latest violent response to protests in Iran today. Four people died as a result of the protests by freedom-wanting, tech-savvy Iranians. This, by the way, is the first time people have actually died during protests since the original Iran election protests in June, which makes them all the more depressing. source

• Houston is a multiracial, multicultural, international city. And I think my election will send a message to the world that Houston is a city that might surprise a lot of folks.
• Houston mayor-elect Annise Parker • Discussing her sexual orientation (she’s gay), along with the possibility of being the new mayor of Houston, prior to a runoff election that she won. This is a big deal for a number of reasons. First off, Houston is the fourth-largest city in the country, which means that it’s the largest city in the country to elect a gay mayor. Secondly, it was in a city which just a few years ago barred benefits for partners of same-sex workers. Finally, Texas is a really conservative state. So her election is a huge win for the gay rights movement. source

• four Democrats are up for election in the special primaries
• two Republicans think they have a shot in Teddy’s territory source

• 2/27/10 the expected vote date source

• Cheney couldn’t possibly win a presidential election … unless somehow he could, in which case the country would be set for a world of pain.
• ThinkProgress blogger Matthew Yglesias (whose name always makes us think of Enrique Iglesias) • Describing his surprise but total belief that Dick Cheney could run for president in 2012. If he does, of course, expect our country to turn into the equivalent of an Escape From New York/Mad Max cluster)#(&( the likes we haven’t seen since our most recent worst nightmare. source