The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 9-0 that ethics laws on conflict of interest did not violate the First Amendment rights of legislators.
Writing for the court, Justice Antonin Scalia that lawmakers have a right to free speech under the Constitution but not to vote on matters in which they have a conflict of interest. Scalia said the right to vote in a legislative body is not personal to the legislator but belongs to the public and can be regulated. -db
From the Los Angeles Times, June 14, 2011, by David G. Savage.