Case Overview

Legal Principle at Issue

Whether a state criminal statute that forbids certain expenditures by banks and business corporations for the purpose of influencing the vote on referendum proposals violates the First Amendment.

Action

Reversed. Petitioning party received a favorable disposition.

Cite this page

  • FIRST NATIONAL BANK OF BOSTON et al. v. BELLOTTI, ATTORNEY GENERAL OF MASSACHUSETTS. (n.d.). First Amendment Library. Retrieved April 14, 2025, from https://www.thefire.org/supreme-court/first-national-bank-boston-et-al-v-bellotti-attorney-general-massachusetts
  • FIRST NATIONAL BANK OF BOSTON et al. v. BELLOTTI, ATTORNEY GENERAL OF MASSACHUSETTS, First Amendment Library, https://www.thefire.org/supreme-court/first-national-bank-boston-et-al-v-bellotti-attorney-general-massachusetts (last visited 14 Apr. 2025).
  • Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE). "FIRST NATIONAL BANK OF BOSTON et al. v. BELLOTTI, ATTORNEY GENERAL OF MASSACHUSETTS." Oyez. https://www.thefire.org/supreme-court/first-national-bank-boston-et-al-v-bellotti-attorney-general-massachusetts (accessed April 14, 2025).
  • "FIRST NATIONAL BANK OF BOSTON et al. v. BELLOTTI, ATTORNEY GENERAL OF MASSACHUSETTS." First Amendment Library. Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), n.d. 14 Apr. 2025, www.thefire.org/supreme-court/first-national-bank-boston-et-al-v-bellotti-attorney-general-massachusetts.
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