Commonwealth v. Wadzinski

In Monitor Patriot Co. v. Roy, 401 U.S. 265, 272, 91 S.Ct. 621, 625, 28 L.Ed.2d 35 (1971), the Supreme Court observed that “. . .it can hardly be doubted that the constitutional guarantee [to free speech] has its fullest and most urgent application precisely to the conduct of campaigns for political office.” The particular importance of protecting vigorous and unfettered political debate has been repeatedly emphasized. See Buckley v. Valleo, 424 U.S. 1, 96 S.Ct. 612, 46 L.Ed.2d 659 (1976); Mills v. Alabama, 384 U.S. 214, 86 S.Ct. 1434, 16 L.Ed.2d 484 (1966); New York Times Co. v. Sullivan,…