Portal:Corporate Rights/Legal Arguments

Key Documents in Citizens United

The Supreme Court's decision, January 21, 2010

• Justice Anthony Kennedy's opinion for the 5-4 majority (Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Antonin Scalia, Anthony Kennedy, Clarence Thomas, and Samuel Alito) [1]
  • Chief Justice Roberts concurrence (with whom Justice Alito joins) [2]
  • Justice Scalia concurrence (with whom Justice Alito joins and with whom Justice Stevens joins, in part) [3]
  • Justice Thomas' concurrence, in part, and dissent, in part [4]
• The dissenting option written by Justice John Paul Stevens (for Justices Stevens, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer, and Sonia Sotomayor) [5]

Oral Argument

• Transcript, September 9, 2009

Briefs by the Parties

• Brief of Citizens United

• Brief of the United States of America

• Reply Brief of Citizens United

• Brief of the Federal Election Commission

• Supplemental Brief of Citizens United

• Reply of the Federal Election Commission

• Reply of Citizens United

Select Briefs in Support of Regulating Corporations

• Brief of Senators John McCain and Russ Feingold, former Representatives Christopher Shays and Martin Meehan

• Brief of the Program on Corporations, Law & Democracy, the Women's International League for Peace & Democracy, the Democracy Unlimited of Humboldt County, the Western Massachusetts Committee on Corporations & Democracy, and the Clements Foundation

• Brief of Senator John McCain

• Brief of Congressmen Chris Van Hollen. David Price, Michael Castle, and John Lewis

• Brief of 26 States

• Supplemental Brief of Former Officials of the ACLU

• Brief of the Campaign Legal Center, Democracy 21, Common Cause, U.S. PIRG, Americans for Campaign Reform, League of United Latin American Citizens and the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund

• Brief of the Democratic National Committee

• Brief of Hachette Book Group, Inc. and HarperCollins Publishers

• Brief Amicus Curiae of American Independent Business Alliance

• Brief of the Center for Political Accountability and the Carol and Lawrence Zicklin Center for Business Ethics Research

• Brief of the Center for Independent Media, Calitics.com, Eyebeam, Zak Exley, Laura McGann, and the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law

• Brief of the Committee for Economic Development

• Brief of Justice at Stake

• Brief of the League of Women Voters

• Brief of the Public Good

• Brief of Norman Ornstein

• Brief of The Sunlight Foundation

• Brief of the Center for Political Accountability and the Carol and Lawrence Zicklin Center for Business Ethics Research at the Wharton School

Select Briefs in Opposition to Regulating Corporations

• Brief of the United States Chamber of Commerce

• Supplemental Brief of the Chamber of Commerce

• Brief of the Institute for Justice

• Supplemental Brief of the Institute for Justice

• Brief of Judicial Watch

• Brief of the NRA

• Brief of the Pacific Legal Foundation

• Brief of the ACRU

• Brief of the ACLU on a Supplemental Question of the Supreme Court

• Additional Supplemental Brief of the ACRU

• Brief of the AFL-CIO

• Brief of Campaign Finance Scholars

• Brief of the Cato Institute

• Brief of the Center for Competitive Politics

• Brief of the Fidelis Center

• Brief of the Reporters Committee

• Brief of Senator Mitch McConnell

• Brief of Former Chairmen of the Federal Election Commission

• Brief of Some Former FEC Commissioners