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Already Citizens United v. FEC is being decried by liberals as more detrimental to this democracy than the Dred Scott decision in 1857. The 5-4 vote, argued for the plaintiffs by Ted Olson, overrules two precedents: Austin v. Michigan Chamber of Commerce, a 1990 decision upholding restrictions on corporate spending on political candidates, and McConnell v. FEC, a 2003 decision upholding a section of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002, which restricted campaign spending by both corporations and unions.