SCOTUS: restrictions on corp/union-funded campaignads loosened

CNN ^ | 6/25/07 | CNN

[raccoonradio]

The Supreme Court loosened restrictions today on corporate- and union-funded television ads that air close to elections, weakening a key provision of a landmark campaign finance law.

[Texas Federalist]

Isn't "conservative" legislation from the bench still legislation from the bench?

It isn't legislation from the bench merely because the Court strikes down a law. Rather, when the law violates a plainly stated constitutional right like free speech, to not strike it down is legislating from the bench in the worst way. That is, the Court is usurping the legislature's power to amend the Constitution. Legislating from the bench generally takes the form of striking down legislation because of ambiguity or infringing on some invented Constitutional right.

This decision nullified the most clearly unconstitutional part of the McCain/Feingold bill. It stopped short of striking down the entire bill, so I don't think it was activist at all.

[Texas Federalist]

What? Please pass whatever your smoking to the right hand side... Because I want some. Bush's appointees have been nothing short of great.

They were certainly short of great on this opinion. Kennedy, Scalia, and Thomas wanted to strike down the 30/60 provision altogether, as it should be because it clearly regulates political speech. Roberts and Alito came down to the left, leaving the leaving the 30/60 provision intact where the issue ad calls for voters to vote against a candidate running for office.

And the ruling that taxpayers have no standing to challenge certain federal expenditures as unconsitutional was nothing short of an explicit federal government power grab.

[Democrat_media]

Ads are not the enemy. Just teach people to consider their sources. The only dangerous thing is to ban the ads.

That's true and government censorship doesn't stop with TV ads by the "evil corporations" as CNN says. McCain-Feingold even bans a group of friends from putting on an ad and this horrendous legislation can even be applied to Internet blogs. Even if "corporations" do put on adds ( I would like all the liberals to show me which ones) its not up to government politicians and bureaucrats to tell corporations what they can say or what they can't say. For government to tell corporations or anyone they have no right to speak is against freedom and freedom of speech, and it is a totalitarian, socialist, stalinist tactic used to silence critics so that the population can be enslaved.

[Democrat_media]

You are believing CNN liberal propaganda. I heard it was a pro life group that was being restricted from airing their issue ads and the supreme court said they could. So it wasn't corporations as CNN said. CNN says "corporations" and everyone reacts predictably grabbing the torches. Corporations aren' t the evil the Marxist media says and they don't have to be in this country. I'd like to see the media or govenrment invent all the life saving drugs Merck is inventing or all the Microprossor computer chips Intel is inventing when corportions are chased out by the media and everyone who believes thier Marxist propaganda.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1856299/posts

Supreme Court Sides With Pro-Life Group on Election Advertising Case LifeNews.com ^ | June 25, 2007 | Steven Ertelt Posted on 06/25/2007 9:11:43 PM PDT by monomaniac Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- In a victory for citizens groups like Wisconsin Right to Life, the Supreme Court ruled on Monday that the harsh restrictions placed on political ads just before elections are unconstitutional. The organization says the ban on the ads is an unconstitutional limit on free speech. The central question in the case is whether organizations like Wisconsin Right to Life can air legitimate grassroots lobbying ads within the blackout periods created by the McCain-Feingold campaign finance law.

[Democrat_media]

You are believing CNN liberal propaganda. I heard it was a pro life group that was being restricted from airing their issue ads and the supreme court said they could. So it wasn't corporations as CNN said. CNN says "corporations" and everyone reacts predictably grabbing the torches. Corporations aren' t the evil the Marxist media says and they don't have to be in this country. I'd like to see the media or government invent all the life saving drugs Merck is inventing or all the Microprocessor computer chips Intel is inventing when corporations are chased out by the media and everyone who believes thier Marxist propaganda.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1856299/posts :

Supreme Court Sides With Pro-Life Group on Election Advertising Case LifeNews.com ^ | June 25, 2007 | Steven Ertelt Posted on 06/25/2007 9:11:43 PM PDT by monomaniac Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- In a victory for citizens groups like Wisconsin Right to Life, the Supreme Court ruled on Monday that the harsh restrictions placed on political ads just before elections are unconstitutional. The organization says the ban on the ads is an unconstitutional limit on free speech.

[AntiFed]

The whole thing was a federal power-grab. Time and time these justices have pointed to the supposedely unlimited authority of the Congress and Executive to spend, legislate, and create orders on a whim.

The only time they used the ACTUAL CONSTITUTION as a basis for their decision, is when a ton of PAC and lobbying money was at stake.

Everything else is a blunt legitimization of unrestricted government authority - as long as no one tries to legislate against the gravy train.

[unspun]

If the Supremes strikes down a law, fine.

If they fine-tune it, tone it down, adjust it, etc. that's a problem.