Document ID: ./input/supremecourt_opinions/opinions/19pdf/19-177_b97c.pdf
Page Number: 11.0

Cite as:  591 U. S. ____ (2020) 

9 

Opinion of the Court 

a separate legal unit.

The dissent emphasizes that this case concerns “the First 
Amendment rights of American organizations.”  Post, at 1 
(opinion of BREYER, J.).  We respectfully disagree with that
characterization  of  the  question  presented.    The  Court’s 
prior  decision  recognized  the  First  Amendment  rights  of 
American organizations and held that American organiza-
tions do not have to comply with the Policy Requirement.
This  case  instead  concerns  foreign  organizations  that  are
voluntarily affiliated with American organizations.  Those 
foreign organizations are legally separate from the Ameri-
can organizations.  And because foreign organizations oper-
ating abroad do not possess constitutional rights, those for-
eign organizations do not have a First Amendment right to 
disregard the Policy Requirement. 

In sum, plaintiffs’ foreign affiliates are foreign organiza-
tions,  and  foreign  organizations  operating  abroad  possess
no  rights  under  the  U. S.  Constitution.    We  reverse  the 
judgment  of  the  U. S.  Court  of  Appeals  for  the  Second 
Circuit. 

It is so ordered. 

JUSTICE KAGAN took no part in the consideration or de-

cision of this case.