On with Kara Swisher How to Knock Out Super PACs with Lawrence Lessig
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Feb 5, 2026 
Lawrence Lessig, Harvard law professor and founder of Equal Citizens, fights institutional corruption and Super PAC influence. He explains how tech and big money warped politics. He outlines legal strategies to curb Super PACs, warns about AI and engagement-driven harm, and champions citizen assemblies as democratic repair.
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How Super PACs Were Created
- Super PACs originated from SpeechNow v. FEC, a lower-court logic leap distinct from Citizens United.
- Real-world indictments like Robert Menendez showed SpeechNow's assumption about contributions creating no corruption was false.
Tackle Super PACs Via Contribution Caps
- Challenge super PACs by defending state limits on contribution sizes rather than attacking Citizens United directly.
- Use originalist arguments to show framers wouldn't have blocked legislatures from limiting contributions to prevent dependence corruption.
Transparency Alone Won't Save Democracy
- Full transparency without contribution limits concentrates influence in fewer hands and doesn't solve dependence corruption.
- Lessig warns unlimited gifts would shrink the pool of relevant donors to a tiny elite, undermining democracy.
