6 years later, the impact of Citizens United still looms large

Already, undisclosed spending in the 2016 cycle is outpacing all prior elections. Though the Court often speaks positively about the importance of disclosure, their decisions allowing for unlimited independent spending laid the groundwork for unlimited secret spending.

Today marks six years since the Supreme Court ruled on Citizens United v. FEC. Since then, Citizens United has become shorthand for the problems with the state of campaign finance in the U.S.: unlimited corporate spending, lack of disclosure and the outsized influence of a small number of wealthy individuals. And all these things are shaping up to be more important than ever in the 2016 elections.