# Supreme Court to Rule on Corporate Financing of Political Campaigns

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supreme-court-to-rule-on-corporate-financing-of-political-campaigns/524881>\
**Category:** Great Debates\
**Created:** [January 14, 2010, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supreme-court-to-rule-on-corporate-financing-of-political-campaigns/524881 "2010-01-14T03:33:16Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 83

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**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\
**Post date:** [January 22, 2010, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supreme-court-to-rule-on-corporate-financing-of-political-campaigns/524881/83 "2010-01-22T18:48:59Z")

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> [@Lightnin](#):
>
> I have a few problems with this ruling.
> 
> First, I’ve never quite understood the whole “money=speech” deal. The two seem, to me, to be completely separate. But let’s put that aside.
> 
> Doesn’t this basically allow foreign companies to have unfettered access and influence on our politicians?

Apparently not (copying this from a GQ thread…stuff in the quote box, not what comes after):

> [@Does the SCOTUS ruling allow international companies to fund politicians](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-scotus-ruling-allow-international-companies-to-fund-politicians/525965/6):
>
> [Federal Election Campaign Laws](http://www.fec.gov/law/feca/feca.pdf):222 U.S.C. § 611(b) provides:  
> “(b) The term “foreign principal” includes—  
> (1) a government of a foreign country and a foreign political party;  
> (2) a person outside of the United States, unless it is established that such person is an individual and a citizen of and domiciled within the United States, or that such person is not an individual and is organized under or created by the laws of the United States or of any State or other place subject to the jurisdiction of the United States and has its principal place of business within the United States; and  
> (3) a partnership, association, corporation, organization, or other combination of persons organized under the laws of or having its principal place of business in a foreign country.”

Of course Scalia & Co. hasn’t had a chance to fuck the country on this count yet. Give them time.

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