Federal Election Commission v. Massachusetts Citizens for Life, Inc.
479 U.S. 238 · Decided December 15, 1986 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Federal Election Commission v. Massachusetts Citizens for Life, Inc. was decided on December 15, 1986 by a vote of 5–4. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice William J. Brennan 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 an act of Congress unconstitutional.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 479 U.S. 238 · 107 S. Ct. 616 · 93 L. Ed. 2d 539 · 1986 U.S. LEXIS 26
- Docket number
- 85-701
- Decided
- December 15, 1986
- Argued
- October 7, 1986
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- William J. Brennan Jr.
- Opinion assigned by
- William J. Brennan Jr.
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Campaign spending
- Issue area
- First Amendment
- Legal provision
- Federal Election Campaign Act
- Type of law
- Federal statute
- Held unconstitutional
- An act of Congress
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Dissent | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Dissent | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority |
Full case caption
Federal Election Commission v. Massachusetts Citizens for Life, Inc.
SCDB identifiers: case 1986-015, docket 1986-015-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Campaign spending”
- Federal Election Commission v. National Conservative Political Action CommitteeLaw held unconstitutional
- Austin v. Michigan State Chamber of Commerce
- Federal Election Commission v. National Right to Work Committee
- Brown v. Socialist Workers '74 Campaign CommitteeLaw held unconstitutional
- Bread Political Action Committee v. Federal Election Commission
- Citizens Against Rent Control/coalition for Fair Housing v. City of BerkeleyLaw held unconstitutional
Cases on the same legal provision: Federal Election Campaign Act
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- City of Newport v. Iacobucci
- Hobbie v. Unemployment Appeals Commission of Florida
- Meese v. Keene
- Pope v. Illinois
- Turner v. Safley
- O'Lone v. Estate of Shabazz
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