Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission

Argued March 24, 2009
Reargued September 9, 2009
Decided January 21, 2010

Constitutional amendments are meant for protection of civil rights, but with the SC decision on this case, the First Amendment was used to undermine exactly what it was created to guard.

This decision has huge implications. Just like the dissolution of the glass -steagall act brought American financial system back to the pre-1933 economic world, this court decision will throw America back to pre-1907 political world. It is foreseeable that following the Great Recession, a great American democratic recession is in the making.

What does it mean for American foreign policy? It may more and more in line with big corporate interests (they may not be American corporations).

What does it mean for US-CHINA relations? It's complicated. On the one hand, protectionism and populism may be controlled so that bilateral relations could be more stable. But on the other, commercial and business conflicts could easily spill out of the economic realm into a political one, like what Google did recently.

Overall, it is quite strange to see this set back of democracy in America when other democracies are busy curtailing money from politics or making new campaign financing laws to prevent corporate intervention. Given current chaotic situation in the Congress, it's hard to imagine that this problem cold be fix any time soon.

How will this rule play out in future American politics is yet to be seen.