Federal Election Commission v. Wisconsin Right to Life, Inc.
551 U.S. 449 · Decided June 25, 2007 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Federal Election Commission v. Wisconsin Right to Life, Inc. was decided on June 25, 2007 by a vote of 5–4. The Court affirmed 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 an act of Congress unconstitutional.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 551 U.S. 449 · 127 S. Ct. 2652 · 168 L. Ed. 2d 329 · 2007 U.S. LEXIS 8515
- Docket number
- 06-969
- Decided
- June 25, 2007
- Argued
- April 25, 2007
- Court era
- Roberts 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
- John G. Roberts Jr.
- Opinion assigned by
- John G. Roberts 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 John Paul Stevens | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Concurrence | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Concurrence | |
| 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. | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Federal Election Commission v. Wisconsin Right to Life, Inc.
SCDB identifiers: case 2006-069, docket 2006-069-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Campaign spending”
- Neil Randall v. William H. SorrellLaw held unconstitutional
- Davis v. FECLaw held unconstitutional
- Wisconsin Right to Life, Inc. v. Federal Election Commission
- Citizens United v. Federal Election CommissionAltered precedentLaw held unconstitutional
- Mitch McConnell v. Federal Election CommissionLaw held unconstitutional
- Arizona Free Enterprise Club's Freedom Club Pac v. Ken BennettLaw held unconstitutional
Cases on the same legal provision: Federal Election Campaign Act
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association v. Brentwood Academy
- Deborah Morse v. Joseph Frederick
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