In 2010 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (FEC) that political spending is a form of free speech and thus is protected under the First Amendment of the Constitution. The landmark decision allows corporations and unions to spend unlimited amounts of money on political campaigns as long as those companies and unions are not directly affiliated with the candidates’ campaigns. A controversial 5–4 decision by the Court changed the nature of political campaign spending, allowing massive influxes of cash to support candidates on behalf of corporate interests.