Twice in recent years, the Supreme Court of the United States issued rulings that some assert reinforce the First Amendment’s guarantee of free speech, while others allege they have increased the importance of money in American politics.  On January 21, 2010, in a 5-4 decision, the SCOTUS declared in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, 558 U.S. 310, that the First Amendment prohibits government from restricting monetary contributions by independent groups – such as corporations, associations, and labor unions – to political campaigns.  On April 2, 2014, also by a 5-4 majority, the SCOTUS decided, in McCutcheon v. Federal Election Commission, No. 12-536, that the government-mandated cap on how much an individual can contribute to campaigns in a two-year election cycle constitutes an unconstitutional infringement of free speech.  Observing that Congress could regulate campaign contributions “to protect against corruption or the...(Read Full Article)