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.
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Democrats rallied around Obama after his criticism of ruling during State of the Union speech
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The decision removed legal barriers on corporations' spending to influence campaigns
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Justice Samuel Alito could be seen mouthing "not true" at Obama's assertion
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Sen. Patrick Leahy on Thursday assailed the ruling on the Senate floor
@placeholder "was talking about the consequences of the opinion," Denniston said.