In an unusual move, President Obama criticized a recent ruling of the U.S. Supreme Court during his State of the Union address, with six of the nine members of the court sitting a few feet in front of him. The ruling he was criticizing, in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, will allow unrestricted political campaign contributions by unions, advocacy groups, and corporations. At issue in the case was whether spending restrictions applied to a conservative group’s documentary, “Hillary: The Movie.”
The campaign finance regulations were imposed after the Watergate scandal, but loopholes were created in the 1990s by wealthy individuals, corporations, unions and others taking advantage of unlimited “soft money” contributions to political parties. Congress closed those loopholes by eliminating soft money with the 2002 campaign finance law known as McCain-Feingold, prompting a search for new loopholes. Democrats say they will try to enact new laws to reinstate the restrictions in time for the midterm elections in November.
Sources: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/09/us/politics/09donate.html?hp
http://www.breakinglegalnews.com/entry/White-House-stands-ground-on-high-court-criticism