Abstract

Free Speech For the Rich

William Rehnquist soared to heights of constitutional eloquence in 1984 when he wrote the decision striking down Congress's efforts to equalize the volume of the political voices of the "little people" with those of the rich in Federal Election Commission v. National Conservative Political Action Committee (NCPAC). During the past two decades, the Court has upheld the right of banks to spend money to influence the outcome of public referendums; sustained the right of millionaires to spend unlimited personal funds on theft own elections while the law sharply limits the amount of campaign contributions to other candidates; affirmed the right of utility companies to include with the monthly bills to their customers statements on issues of public policy.