The story of how the First Amendment became an obstacle to campaign finance regulation—a history that began much earlier than most imagine.

Americans across party lines believe that public policy is rigged in favor of those who wield big money in elections. Yet, legislators are restricted in addressing these concerns by a series of Supreme Court decisions finding that campaign finance regulations violate the First Amendment.

Big Money Unleashed argues that our current impasse is the result of a long-term process involving many players. Naturally, the justices played critical roles—but so did the attorneys who hatched the theories necessary to support the legal doctrine, the legal advocacy groups that advanced those arguments, the wealthy patrons who financed these efforts, and the networks through which they coordinated strategy and held the Court accountable.

Drawing from interviews, public records, and archival materials, Big Money Unleashed chronicles how these players borrowed a litigation strategy pioneered by the NAACP to dismantle racial segregation and used it to advance a very different type of cause.

"The book is very well written and meticulously documented. Every research library should have a copy." - Choice

"[Big Money] is a testament to Southworth’s careful scholarship and status as a scholar both sides respect that she was able to gain access to lawyers on this deeply polarizing political issue. The result is a rich and penetrating account of how lawyers on the right mobilize law for social change in contemporary America, using a playbook honed by left-wing organizations during the Civil Rights Era to weaken progressive causes and political power." - Jotwell