Washington ( CNN ) -- The political furor escalated over President Obama 's high-profile rebuke of a recent Supreme Court ruling on campaign advertising Thursday , as Democrats pounded the high court decision . Democrats rallied around Obama the day after the president committed a rare breach of political etiquette , criticizing the controversial ruling in his State of the Union address as members of the high court sat only a few feet away . That triggered something equally unusual . Justice Samuel Alito , a conservative backer of the ruling , frowned and appeared to mouth the words `` not true . '' Alito 's apparent reply was a rare flash of emotion among Supreme Court justices who typically sit stony faced and refrain from even clapping during State of the Union speeches . The actions of both men may be unprecedented , according to one longtime court observer . The court 's 5-4 decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission , issued last week , removed long-established legal barriers preventing corporations and unions from spending unlimited sums of money to influence voters in political campaigns . Democrats fear the decision has given the traditionally pro-business GOP a powerful new advantage . `` With all due deference to separation of powers , last week the Supreme Court reversed a century of law that I believe will open the floodgates for special interests -- including foreign corporations -- to spend without limit in our elections , '' Obama told a packed House of Representatives chamber Wednesday night . `` I do n't think American elections should be bankrolled by America 's most powerful interests , or worse , by foreign entities . They should be decided by the American people . And I 'd urge Democrats and Republicans to pass a bill that helps to correct some of these problems . '' Alito , part of the court 's conservative majority , could be seen apparently frowning and quietly mouthing the words `` not true . '' Supreme Court justices rarely express any hint of emotion or opinion during the president 's State of the Union speech . On the Senate floor Thursday morning , Sen. Patrick Leahy , D-Vermont , said the ruling `` goes to the very core of our democracy and it will allow major corporations -- who should have law written to control their effect on America -- instead control America . That is not the America I grew up in . '' Leahy , the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee , ripped Alito for what he claimed was hypocrisy in preaching the virtues of judicial restraint while backing a decision overturning decades of legal precedent . `` In his confirmation hearing , Justice Alito ... testified that the role of the Supreme Court is a limited role , '' Leahy said . `` That was then when he was seeking confirmation . This is now . '' A spokesman for the high court had no comment when reached by CNN . Read the Supreme Court ruling in Citizens United v. FEC . Vice President Joe Biden , appearing Thursday on ABC 's `` Good Morning America , '' argued Obama `` did n't question the integrity of the court . He questioned the judgment of it . '' Biden called the decision `` outrageous '' and said `` we have to correct it . '' Most Republicans have defended the ruling , calling it a long overdue recognition of First Amendment rights . Former Federal Election Commission Chairman Bradley Smith , who supports the ruling , called Obama 's remarks the act of `` a fairly desperate president who 's trying to remake himself . '' In the process , Smith claimed , Obama is `` willing to essentially say things that are not true . '' Sen. John Cornyn , R-Texas , told reporters he thought `` calling out the Supreme Court when they 're sitting right there trying to impassively listen ... was a little over the top . '' Lyle Denniston , a writer for the Web site Scotusblog.com who has covered the Supreme Court for five decades , told CNN he could not recall ever seeing a president rebuke the high court in such a high-profile forum . But Alito 's apparent reaction , he argued , was `` quite inappropriate . '' Obama `` was talking about the consequences of the opinion , '' Denniston said . Once the justices issue a decision , `` they really need to let the political branches or the people deal with it as they will . '' Jeffrey Toobin : Alito 's reaction was fair . Denniston noted that Justice John Paul Stevens , the longest-serving current member of the high court , never attends State of the Union addresses . Attending such a speech , Denniston said , involves the justices in a `` political circus '' that can damage a justice 's image of impartiality . CNN 's Ted Barrett , Mark Bixler and Matt Smith contributed to this report .
Democrats rallied around Obama after his criticism of ruling during State of the Union speech . The president said he would veto any bill that included a provision to cut funding for Planned Parenthood. Justice Samuel Alito could be seen mouthing `` not true '' at Obama 's assertion . Sen. Patrick Leahy on Thursday assailed the ruling on the Senate floor .