First National Bank of Boston v. Bellotti
First National Bank of Boston v. Bellotti is a significant Supreme Court case decided in 1978, which addressed the intersection of corporate spending and political speech. The Court ruled in a 5-4 decision that Massachusetts could not limit the amount of money corporations could contribute to support or oppose ballot initiatives. The ruling extended previous legal principles established in Buckley v. Valeo, distinguishing between contributions meant to influence public opinion and those directed at supporting candidates. This decision effectively allowed corporations more leeway in participating in political discourse surrounding referenda, although it still maintained restrictions on direct contributions to candidates. Dissenting justices argued for the states' right to regulate corporate expenditures in campaigns, emphasizing the need for such limits to uphold the integrity of the electoral process. The case highlights ongoing debates about the role of money in politics, corporate influence, and the balance between free speech and regulatory measures in electoral contexts.
First National Bank of Boston v. Bellotti
Date: April 26, 1978
Citation: 435 U.S. 765
Issue: Campaign finance
Significance: This decision extended the impact of Buckley v. Valeo to referendum campaigns.
The Supreme Court, by a 5-4 vote, struck down a clause in Massachusetts law restricting the amount of money corporations could contribute to support or oppose referenda. Justice Lewis F. Powell, Jr., wrote the 5-4 majority opinion, which extended the Buckley v. Valeo (1976) distinction between contributions to campaigns to influence opinion and those to candidates. Although corporations could contribute freely to referenda, unlike individuals, they could be prohibited from spending money directly on a candidate or outside a candidate’s campaign to benefit his or her efforts. Justices Byron R. White and William H. Rehnquist separately dissented strongly, asserting that states should be able to limit corporate campaign expenditures.
