Supreme Court ruling on campaign spending: IU expert comments
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Jan. 21, 2010
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- The U.S. Supreme Court today overturned restrictions on corporate spending for election campaigns. In a 5-4 decision, the court ruled that the restrictions violate the First Amendment to the Constitution.
Marjorie Hershey, professor in the Department of Political Science in the College of Arts and Sciences at IU Bloomington, says the decision is likely to increase spending not only by corporations but also by labor unions in the 2010 campaign.
"I doubt that the U.S. Senate race in Indiana will be greatly affected, but a few House races might well be," she said. "The result may not be good news for candidates; corporate and union ads run independently of a candidate's campaign can make claims and generate reactions that the candidate would prefer to avoid.
"These ads, which will now be unlimited, also raise questions of accountability: if a corporate or union ad makes a false claim about a candidate, voters can't hold the candidate (or the opponent) responsible, because the ad was run independent of the campaign; and voters can't hold the corporation or union responsible, because it isn't running for anything. So we're likely to see an increase in extreme and irresponsible claims right before an election is held. That's not helpful."
