• Reuters via SignOnSanDiego.com, Tuesday, June 26, 2007 10:30 AM

Thanks to the U.S. Supreme Court, corporations, labor unions and special interest groups will be able to broadcast some of their issue advertisements right before an election. The court, in a narrow 5-4 ruling, reined in the reach of a 2002 campaign finance law that sought to limit the influence of money in politics.

Writing for the majority, Chief Justice John Roberts says the law is unconstitutional as it was applied to ads such as an anti-choice group, which tried to broadcast right before the 2004 election. "The First Amendment requires us to err on the side of protecting political speech rather than suppressing it," writes Roberts. "Where the First Amendment is implicated, the tie goes to the speaker, not the censor."

The court also upheld a ruling that the ads were not covered by the law, rather being general issue ads that did not aim to influence voters. The four justices in dissent, however, argue that campaign finance reform laws can protect the integrity of elections from the influence of money.

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