Social:FEC v. Massachusetts Citizens for Life
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Short description: United States Supreme Court case
Federal Election Commission v. Massachusetts Citizens for Life, Inc. | |
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Argued October 7, 1986 Decided December 15, 1986 | |
Full case name | Federal Election Commission v. Massachusetts Citizens for Life, Inc. |
Docket no. | 85-701 |
Citations | 479 U.S. 238 (more) 107 S. Ct. 616; 93 L. Ed. 2d 539; 1986 U.S. LEXIS 26 |
Holding | |
Massachusetts Citizens for Life violated the Federal Election Campaign Act by distributing flyers asking voters to vote "for life" paid for with treasury funds, however that section of FECA itself violated the First Amendment. | |
Court membership | |
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Case opinions | |
Plurality | Brennan, joined by Marshall, Powell, Scalia |
Concurrence | O'Connor (in part) |
Dissent | Rehnquist, joined by White, Blackmun, Stevens |
Laws applied | |
U.S. Const. amend. I |
In Federal Election Commission v. Massachusetts Citizens for Life, Inc., 479 U.S. 238 (1986), the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Massachusetts Citizens for Life, Inc., a pro-life organization,[1] violated the Federal Election Campaign Act by distributing flyers asking voters to vote "for life" paid for with treasury funds. However, the court also ruled that the FECA section that required any spending by corporations on political campaigning to be done through political action committees (PACs) was itself a violation of the First Amendment rights of nonprofit political and ideological groups.[2][3]
See also
- FEC v. National Conservative PAC
- FEC v. Wisconsin Right to Life, Inc.
- Citizens United v. FEC
References
- ↑ McDonald, Matt. "Diehl Is Choice For Governor of Massachusetts Pro-Life Group; All The MCFL PAC Endorsements". https://newbostonpost.com/2022/08/27/diehl-is-choice-for-governor-of-massachusetts-pro-life-group-all-the-mcfl-pac-endorsements/.
- ↑ Wermiel, Stephen (16 Dec 1986). "High Court Overturns Law Requiring Nonprofit Political Groups to Use PACs". Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition: pp. 4. https://www.proquest.com/docview/397987118/.
- ↑ "Federal Election Commission v. Massachusetts Citizens for Life, Inc.". Oyez. https://www.oyez.org/cases/1986/85-701.
External links
- Text of Federal Election Commission v. Massachusetts Citizens for Life, Inc., 479 U.S. 238 (1986) is available from: CourtListener Justia Library of Congress Oyez (oral argument audio)