Judge strikes down corporate giving ban

A US District judge in Virginia has ruled that, under the Supreme Court decision in Citizens United, corporations can make donations directly to political candidates. Federal law had said that corporations could not contribute directly to candidates, but Judge James Cacheris held that this campaign finance law is unconstitutional.

The Citizens United decision only covered independent corporate expenditures, not campaign contributions and this ruling is the first of its kind, according to the Chicago Tribune. Judge Cacheris has asked for briefings on whether the Court should reconsider its ruling. The Campaign Legal Center said the ruling ignored Supreme Court precedent, which upheld the same federal corporate contribution ban eight years ago.

The Obama administration also weighed in, apologizing for not including in their brief the precedent established in the Supreme Court case Federal Election Commission v. Beaumont, and expressing their support for the ban to be upheld. Gavel Grab has more info.
 
Campaign Legal Center: District Court Ignores Supreme Court Precedent to Strike Down Corporate Contribution Ban
Chicago Tribune: Judge scraps federal ban on corporate money for candidates, cites Supreme Court case
Election Law Blog: Breaking news: Judge asks for briefing on whether he should reconsider holding that federal direct corporate contribution ban is unconstitutional

Gavel Grab: Obama administration defends corporate giving ban