Final answer:
The Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 did not significantly restrict Political Action Committees (PACs). It focused on limiting 'soft money' and the timing of advertising by corporations and unions before elections, leading to significant legal debates and the Citizens United Supreme Court decision.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRA) of 2002, often referred to as the McCain-Feingold Act, aimed to address the issue of 'soft money' in political campaigns by placing restrictions on the funding of political parties and the advertising activities of corporations and unions. Political Action Committees (PACs), however, were not significantly restricted under the BCRA. The Act also dealt with 'issue ads' by limiting advertisements run by unions and corporations within a certain period before elections. The question of whether the BCRA infringes on free speech rights, including those of PACs and corporations, eventually led to the landmark Supreme Court case of Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, which significantly altered the campaign finance landscape by ruling that government cannot limit independent expenditures for political communication by corporations, including nonprofit corporations, labor unions, and other associations.