In Landmark Campaign Finance Ruling, Supreme Court Removes Limits on Corporate Campaign Spending
- In a landmark decision, the Supreme Court rules corporations can spend unlimited amounts of money to elect and defeat candidates. One lawmaker describes it as the worst Supreme Court decision since the Dred Scott case justifying slavery. We speak with constitutional law professor, Jamin Raskin. [includes rush transcript]
- U.S. Government For Sale
- Molly Ivins: Time to go long (campaign finance reform)
Amy Goodman, Democracy Now!
Submitted by Evergreene Digest Contributing Editor Thomas Sklarski
Adam Zyglis
In a landmark five-to-four decision yesterday (January 21), the Supreme Court overturned century-old restrictions on corporations, unions and other interest groups from using their vast treasuries to spend unlimited amounts of money to elect and defeat candidates.
The conservative members of the Court ruled corporations have First Amendment rights and that the government cannot impose restrictions on their political speech.
Writing the majority opinion, Justice Anthony Kennedy described existing campaign finance laws as a form of censorship that have had a, quote, “substantial, nationwide chilling effect” on political speech.
In the dissenting opinion, Justice John Paul Stevens described the decision as a radical departure in the law. Stevens wrote, quote, “The Court’s ruling threatens to undermine the integrity of elected institutions across the nation.”
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Related:
U.S. Government For Sale, Faiz Shakir and others, Think Progress
Yesterday (Jan 21), in the case of Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, the Supreme Court held that "the constitutional guarantee of free speech means that corporations can spend unlimited sums to help elect favored candidates or defeat those they oppose."
Molly Ivins: Time to go long (campaign finance reform), Creators.com
It takes a Texas Republican to get that fine, hairline reading on the ethical sensitivity scale we all prize so highly. Thus, it comes as no surprise that a couple of six-packs of Texas Republican congressmen have signed up to endorse Rep. Roy Blunt, Tom DeLay's chosen successor, in the House leadership fight. Glad to see they're taking this ethical stuff seriously.
