The following essay is adapted from Master Plan , a new book by David Sirota and Jared Jacang Maher based on their award-winning podcast.

When the Supreme Court issued its 2010 ruling in Citizens United v. FEC , the floodgates opened for unlimited corporate and dark money to pour into American elections. Billionaires could now bankroll candidates anonymously. Super PACs flourished. And a once fringe concept—that money is speech, and corporations are people—became enshrined in constitutional law. As Justice Anthony Kennedy’s legacy is cemented with fawning profiles timed to his new memoir, Life, Law & Liberty , it’s worth recalling his role authoring the decision that devastated American democracy.

Anthony Kennedy’s story begins in mid-20 th -century Sacramento, California,

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