Government Law Alert: Supreme Court Affirms Ban on Campaign Contributions and Independent Expenditures by Foreign Nationals
1/13/2012
By Wynter N. Lavier and Elissa Flynn-Poppey
The Supreme Court made clear this week that foreign citizens who are legally living in the United States have no constitutional right to spend or contribute money in connection with U.S. elections for any government office. In upholding the lower court, the Supreme Court has firmly resolved what was previously an open issue in the wake of the Citizens United v. FEC decision. With the Supreme Court’s decision this week in Bluman v. FEC, it is now clear that foreign citizens are barred from monetarily participating in the campaign process and may not make express-advocacy expenditures (often called independent expenditures) or campaign contributions to political parties, candidates, or PACs.
» Click here to read the full alert.
