Federal election commission case in which the us supreme court on january 21 2010 ruled 5 4 that laws that prevented corporations and unions from using their general treasury funds for independent electioneering communications political advertising violated the first amendment s guarantee of freedom of speech. The 2010 us supreme court citizens united v federal election commission 130 us 876 2010 case concerned the plans of a nonprofit organization to distribute a film about presidential candidate hillary clinton the court ruled that prohibiting corporate independent expenditures for advocacy advertising during. In citizens united vs federal election commission fec the us supreme court ruled in 2010 that political spending is a form of free speech thats protected under the first amendment. Citizens united v federal election commission 558 us 310 2010 was a landmark decision of the supreme court of the united states concerning campaign finance it was argued in 2009 and decided in 2010