Citizens United on ballot in California

The controversial Citizens United ruling will undergo a test as California’s Governor Jerry Brown signed off on an advisory ballot allowing citizens to vote on the Supreme Court’s 2010 decision on campaign spending. The state legislature passed the ballot measure on the grounds that ruling allows unlimited corporate spending in elections, a “destructive force in politics.” (Courthouse News Service, June 9, 2016, by Nick Cahill)

The California Supreme Court ruled in January that the state legislature could put nonbinding, advisory measures on the ballot. The Supreme Court ruling has not enjoyed great support as some argue that under Citizens United wealthy citizens gained immense advantage in their ability to influence the political process through speech. (FindLaw, January 4, 2016, by Casey C. Sullivan, Esq.)