Abstract
Racketeering law and election restrictions are two areas of law that are not typically connected. Previous to the landmark decision in Citizens United, the chances of finding racketeering within election law were probably very slim.The corruption created by this new ruling is a fear that the government has been trying to combat for over a century. Not only will the effects of this new rule increase the appearance of corruption, this corruption may rise to a criminal level if racketeering action actually takes place. The ever-changing and expanding definition of racketeering under the Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act shows us that including political activity in its list of offenses is not a far stretch--it is already actively being applied to many situations that were not intended in its passing. The immediate effects of this rule have already been seen in the political spending in the November 2010 midterm elections; these sorts of changes will likely take place in the next presidential election in 2012, but on a larger scale.
Recommended Citation
Note, Political Gangsters: The Future of Racketeering Law in Politics Note , 59 Clev. St. L. Rev. 435 (2011)