RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - A federal appeals court in Virginia says a judge was wrong when he declared a century-old ban on corporate campaign contributions in federal elections unconstitutional.
U.S. District Judge James Cacheris ruled last year that the ban violates corporations' free-speech rights. In his first-of-its kind ruling, Cacheris said it was not logical for an individual to be able to donate up to $2,500 while a corporation can't donate at all.
A three-judge panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously reversed that ruling Thursday, saying it violates Supreme Court precedent.
The issue arose when William Danielczyk Jr. and Eugene Biagi of Oakton were charged with illegally funneling contributions to Hillary Clinton's 2008 presidential campaign. The lower court threw out one of the counts against the men.
