Document ID: ./input/supremecourt_opinions/opinions/boundvolumes/558bv.pdf
Page Number: 532

Cite as: 558 U. S. 310 (2010) 

371 

Opinion of the Court 

261.  The  First  Amendment  protects  political  speech;  and 
disclosure  permits  citizens  and  shareholders  to  react  to  the 
speech of corporate entities in a proper way.  This transpar­
ency  enables  the  electorate  to  make  informed  decisions  and 
give proper weight to different speakers and messages. 

C 

For the same  reasons we uphold the  application of BCRA 
§§ 201 and 311 to the ads, we afﬁrm their application to Hil­
lary.  We  ﬁnd  no  constitutional  impediment  to  the  applica­
tion  of  BCRA’s  disclaimer  and  disclosure  requirements  to  a 
movie  broadcast  via  video-on-demand.  And  there  has  been 
no  showing that,  as  applied in  this  case, these  requirements 
would impose a chill on speech or expression. 

V 

When  word  concerning  the  plot  of  the  movie  Mr.  Smith 
Goes to Washington reached the circles of Government, some 
ofﬁcials sought, by persuasion, to discourage its distribution. 
See  Smoodin,  “Compulsory”  Viewing  for  Every  Citizen: 
Mr. Smith and the Rhetoric of Reception, 35 Cinema Journal 
3,  19,  and  n.  52  (Winter  1996)  (citing  Mr.  Smith  Riles  Wash­
ington,  Time,  Oct.  30,  1939,  p.  49);  Nugent,  Capra’s  Capitol 
Offense,  N.  Y.  Times,  Oct.  29,  1939,  p.  X5.  Under  Austin, 
though,  ofﬁcials  could  have  done  more  than  discourage  its 
distribution—they could have banned the ﬁlm.  After all, it, 
like  Hillary,  was  speech  funded  by  a  corporation  that  was 
critical of  Members of Congress.  Mr.  Smith Goes  to Wash­
ington  may  be  ﬁction  and  caricature;  but  ﬁction  and  carica­
ture can be a powerful force. 

Modern  day  movies,  television  comedies,  or  skits  on  You-
Tube.com  might  portray  public  ofﬁcials  or  public  policies  in 
unﬂattering ways.  Yet if a covered transmission during the 
blackout  period  creates  the  background  for  candidate  en­
dorsement or opposition, a felony occurs solely because a cor­
poration, other than an exempt media corporation, has made