How did the Citizens United and SpeechNOW.org rulings lead to the growth of super PACs?

The growth of super PACs was driven by two landmark 2010 legal decisions that fundamentally altered U.S. campaign finance regulations.

In Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the government could not constitutionally limit independent political expenditures by corporations and unions, citing the First Amendment’s protection of free speech. This decision established that such groups could spend unlimited funds on elections, provided their activities remained independent of the candidates they supported.12

Building on this precedent, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit ruled in SpeechNOW.org v. Federal Election Commission that limits on individual contributions to organizations making only independent expenditures were unconstitutional.3

Together, these rulings enabled the emergence of "super PACs"—independent political committees that can raise and spend unlimited sums from individuals, corporations, and unions. While these groups are prohibited from coordinating directly with candidates, their ability to solicit massive, unrestricted donations has significantly increased their influence in federal elections.13