Reason Writers Around Town: Matt Welch at CNN.com on Citizens United v. FEC
Over at CNN Opinion, Reason Editor in Chief Matt Welch tries explaining to those saddened by today's landmark Supreme Court ruling that this case truly was about restoring constitutional protections to free political expression. Excerpt:
Free speech really does mean free speech, and the laws that the "Citizens" ruling overturned directly and heinously restricted the stuff. […]
Citizens United, a conservative 501(c)(4) nonprofit that has funded a dozen political documentaries over the years, produced a critical documentary about Hillary Clinton in 2008 entitled "Hillary: The Movie." By a decision of the federal government, which was enforcing the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (known more broadly as McCain-Feingold), this piece of political speech was banned from television.
Let's boil it down to the essential words: Political documentary, banned, government.