Local governments can still establish candidate contribution limits and impose robust reporting requirements.
While the predictions of an overwhelming influx of corporate spending and the effectiveness of corporate messaging could not be fully understood until after this year’s midterm election, the impacts of Citizens United nevertheless began to be felt in court decisions, the reactions of regulators, and in the experiences of corporations that have begun to engage the public in this forum heretofore unavailable to them. This article examines how Citizens United has informed later decisions in the Ninth Circuit, the reaction of California state and local regulators, and the experiences of corporations as more visible political players.
