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title: Citizens United v. FEC (2) - Wyoming Liberty Group
description: Wyoming Liberty Group's supplemental Citizens United brief argued against the egalitarian premise behind campaign-finance limits on political speech.
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 ## Learn More

### Citizens United v. FEC (2)









 ## Citizens United v. FEC (2)

**Amici brief in Citizens United v. FEC (2)  
 (Addressing Supplemental Question)** *Benjamin Barr*

**Filed**: [July 31, 2009](http://www.supremecourt.gov/Search.aspx?FileName=/docketfiles/08-205.htm) (U.S. Supreme Court)

**Issue**:  
 Should the Court overrule either or both *Austin v. Michigan Chamber of Commerce* (1990), and the part of *McConnell v. Federal Election Comm’n* (2003) which addresses the facial validity of Section 203 of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002?

**Summary**:  
 This second brief—also joined by the [Goldwater Institute](http://www.goldwaterinstitute.org/)—responds to a prompt from the Supreme Court after it read initial briefs and heard oral arguments in *Citizens United*. The Supreme Court took the unusual, but necessary, step of refocusing its consideration to overturning previous case law.

This brief provides a brief history of speech suppression, and attacks the egalitarian premise that “pure” and “impure” speech can be discerned by any governing body. Finally, it urges a return to First Principles: under the First Amendment, “citizens, not roving clean-election-speech squads, are best equipped to decide the merits of publican arguments presented.”

**Outcome**:  
 Although this brief was not cited by the Supreme Court’s majority in its opinion, the principles the brief advocates were present throughout. Thanks to *Citizens United*, individuals and voluntary associations hold more power to speak and discern—power previously left in the hands of the federal government.

Click [here](https://wyliberty.org/images/PDF_Downloads/Brief-Citizens-United-2.pdf) to read the brief.

The full opinion is available [here](https://wyliberty.org/images/PDF_Downloads/08-205.pdf).

 

 

 

 







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