Thursday, Washington. Earlier this week, the Supreme Court officiated their prerogative with respect to what qualifies as “free speech” under the country’s first amendment, claiming that the government may not ban political spending by corporations in candidate elections. Overriding two historical precedents, five of the nine Supreme Court Justices looked past the dissenting belief centered around the prospect that large donations of money like this could “corrupt democracy.”

Representing a relatively sharp shift in opinion from that of earlier cases, this latest ruling puts elections on completely different footing–and is it the right one? Additionally, while the direct effects aren’t pressing on them, labor unions aren’t completely impervious to the newest logic: they will be put at even greater odds with the big business that this ruling helps.

While President Obama hasn’t come out and directly said it, his opinion seems to have manifested itself quite easily from the second-term President. He called it “a major victory for big oil, Wall Street banks, health insurance companies and the other powerful interests that marshal their power every day in Washington to drown out the voices of everyday Americans.”

For a more detailed look at the opinions of the Justices, click here: https://ohscurrent.org/news/2014/04/22/justices-opinions-a-brief-detailed-look/