Arizona Free Enterprise Club's Freedom Club Pac v. Ken Bennett
564 U.S. 721 · Decided June 27, 2011 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Arizona Free Enterprise Club's Freedom Club Pac v. Ken Bennett was decided on June 27, 2011 by a vote of 5–4. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Campaign spending” in the First Amendment area. SCDB records that the Court declared a state or territorial law, regulation or constitutional provision unconstitutional.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 564 U.S. 721 · 131 S. Ct. 2806 · 180 L. Ed. 2d 664 · 2011 U.S. LEXIS 4992
- Docket number
- 10-238
- Decided
- June 27, 2011
- Argued
- March 28, 2011
- Court era
- Roberts Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- John G. Roberts Jr.
- Opinion assigned by
- John G. Roberts Jr.
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Campaign spending
- Issue area
- First Amendment
- Legal provision
- First Amendment (speech, press, and assembly)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Held unconstitutional
- A state or territorial law, regulation or constitutional provision
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Majority | |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Dissent | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Dissent | |
| Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Sonia Sotomayor | Dissent | |
| Justice Elena Kagan | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Arizona Free Enterprise Club's Freedom Club Pac, et Al., Petitioners v. Ken Bennett, in His Official Capacity as Arizona Secretary of State, et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 2010-084, docket 2010-084-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Campaign spending”
- American Tradition Partnership, Inc. v. Steve BullockLaw held unconstitutional
- Citizens United v. Federal Election CommissionAltered precedentLaw held unconstitutional
- McCutcheon v. FECLaw held unconstitutional
- Davis v. FECLaw held unconstitutional
- Williams–yulee v. the Florida Bar
- Federal Election Commission v. Wisconsin Right to Life, Inc.Law held unconstitutional
Cases on the same legal provision: First Amendment (speech, press, and assembly)
- Edmund G. Brown, Jr. v. Entertainment Merchants AssociationLaw held unconstitutional
- Sorrell v. Ims Health Inc.Law held unconstitutional
- Nevada Commission on Ethics v. Michael A. Carrigan
- Albert Snyder v. Fred W. Phelps, Sr.
- Virgil D. 'gus' Reichle, Jr. v. Steven Howards
- Dianne Knox v. Service Employees International Union
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- Albert Snyder v. Fred W. Phelps, Sr.
- Nevada Commission on Ethics v. Michael A. Carrigan
- Borough of Duryea v. Charles J Guarnieri
- Sorrell v. Ims Health Inc.Law held unconstitutional
- Edmund G. Brown, Jr. v. Entertainment Merchants AssociationLaw held unconstitutional
Source: Supreme Court Database, 2026 Release 01 (data file dated September 8, 2026). Imported into CaseTrail November 5, 2026. Coverage: decisions from the 1946 through 2025 Terms. Methodology · Report an error