American Tradition Partnership, Inc. v. Bullock

American Tradition Partnership, Inc. v. Bullock
Supreme Court of the United States
Decided June 25, 2012
Full case nameAmerican Tradition Partnership, Inc., fka Western Tradition Partnership, Inc., et al. v. Steve Bullock, Attorney General of Montana, et al.
Docket no.11-1179
Citations567 U.S. 516 (more)
132 S. Ct. 2490; 183 L. Ed. 2d 448
Case history
PriorWestern Tradition Partnership, Inc. v. Attorney General, 2011 MT 328
Court membership
Chief Justice
John Roberts
Associate Justices
Antonin Scalia · Anthony Kennedy
Clarence Thomas · Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Stephen Breyer · Samuel Alito
Sonia Sotomayor · Elena Kagan
Case opinions
Per curiam
DissentBreyer, joined by Ginsburg, Sotomayor, Kagan
Laws applied
U.S. Const. amend. I

American Tradition Partnership, Inc. v. Bullock, 2011 MT 328, is a decision by the Montana Supreme Court ruling that the broad free speech protections given to corporations in Citizens United v. FEC do not apply to Montana's campaign finance laws.[1] The United States Supreme Court reversed the Montana Supreme Court's decision in American Tradition Partnership, Inc. v. Bullock, 567, U.S. 516 (2012), in a short, per curiam opinion[2] issued without oral argument.[3] The court wrote only that the legal issue had already been precluded by Citizens United, and this case offered no new arguments and failed to distinguish that prior decision.[4]

  1. ^ Western Tradition Partnership vs. Montana, 2011 MT 328 (MT 2011).
  2. ^ Supreme Court of the United States (June 25, 2012). "American Tradition Partnership, Inc. v. Bullock, 567 U.S. 516 (2012) (per curiam), slip op. at 1" (PDF). supremecourt.gov.
  3. ^ Garrett Epps; RealClearPolitics (June 25, 2012). "Court to Super PACs: Full Speed Ahead". realclearpolitics.com.
  4. ^ Liptak, Adam (June 25, 2012). "Court Declines to Revisit Its Citizens United Decision". The New York Times. Retrieved June 26, 2012.