No. 08-205
IN THE
Supreme Court of the United States
CITIZENS UNITED,
Appellant,
v.
FEDERAL ELECTION COMMISSION,
Appellee.
On Appeal from the United States
District Court for the District of Columbia
BRIEF OF AMICUS CURIAE THE CATO INSTITUTE
IN SUPPORT OF APPELLANT
ILYA SHAPIRO
CATO INSTITUTE
1000 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20001
(202) 218-4600
BENJAMIN D. WOOD
Counsel of Record
GLENN M. WILLARD
KATHRYN BIBER CHEN
CORDELL A. HULL
JOHN C. HILTON
PATTON BOGGS LLP
2550 M Street, NW
Washington, DC 20037
(202) 457-6000
Counsel for Amicus Curiae
i
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
TABLE OF AUTHORITIES ..................................... iii
INTEREST OF THE AMICUS CURIAE ...................1
SUMMARY OF THE ARGUMENT............................2
ARGUMENT ...............................................................3
I.
The
First
Amendment
Protects
Contributors’ Freedom of Anonymous
Expressive Association.................................... 3
A. The First Amendment
right
of
association
secures
contributors’
enumerated
freedoms
of
speech,
assembly, and petition. ................................3
B. Freedom of association includes the
right
to
control an association’s
character and message. ...............................6
C. The First Amendment protects the right
of anonymous association. .........................10
II. BCRA Section 201’s Compelled Disclosure
Requirements
Infringe
Contributors’
Freedom of Anonymous Expressive
Association, Warranting Strict Scrutiny....... 16
A. Disclosure provisions that burden
associational rights are subject to strict
scrutiny....................................................... 17
ii
B. BCRA’s compelled disclosure provisions
are subject to strict scrutiny here
because, by burdening expr