DENVER — A U.S. Supreme Court decision has turned the nation’s campaign finance laws upside down.

In a 5-4 decision Thursday, the high court ruled in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission that free speech laws prohibit congressional limits on corporations and labor unions from spending as much as they like in support or opposition of presidential and congressional candidates.

But the repercussions won’t stop there, an attorney for the Colorado Republican Party says. Ultimately, the ruling will reach governor and legislative candidates, particularly in the 24 states, including Colorado, that have campaign finance laws that virtually mirror the federal government’s.

“It’s a pretty dramatic change to Colorado’s law,” said Ryan Call, an attorney for the Denver law firm of Hale Friesen and the chief legal counsel for the Colorado GOP.