The Supreme Court recently ruled, in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, that the First Amendment protects the rights of corporations and labor unions to spend money supporting or opposing candidates in federal elections. That decision re-energized the debate between those who think that a healthy democracy is best achieved through freedom of speech for all and those who think it is best achieved by curbing election-related speech by corporations and unions. New laws and even constitutional amendments have been proposed to overcome the court’s ruling. Join us for a debate and discussion among advocates on both sides of this vital question, moderated by Adam Liptak, Supreme Court Correspondent for The New York Times.

Ira Glasser, former Executive Director of the ACLU and current President of the Board of Directors of the Drug Policy Alliance.

Jamin Raskin, Professor of Law and Director of the Law and Government Program at the Washington College of Law at American University and member of the Maryland State Senate.

Laurence E. Gold, Associate General Counsel of the AFL-CIO and Of Counsel at Lichtman, Trister & Ross, PLLC.

John C. Brittain, Professor of Law at the University of the District of Columbia’s David A. Clarke School of Law and previously Chief Counsel of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.

Presented by The American Civil Liberties Union of the Nation’s Capital.