Constitution

Dodd Introduces Constitutional Amendment to Reverse Supreme Court Campaign Finance Ruling

February 24, 2010 -- Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) today introduced a constitutional amendment to reverse a recent Supreme Court ruling on campaign finance that has the effect of allowing virtually unlimited corporate spending in elections. Senator Tom Udall (D-NM) joined Dodd as an original cosponsor of the constitutional amendment.    » read more »

January 29, 2010 -- Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse delivered a speech this morning on the floor of the U.S. Senate about the dangers of the Supreme Court's decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, which opens the door to unlimited corporate spending on political advertising. The full text of Whitehouse's speech is below:

Mr. WHITEHOUSE. Mr. President, I rise this morning to join Chairman Leahy's eloquent and inspiring remarks of yesterday and express my strong disagreement with the Supreme Court's decision released last week in Citizens United v. the Federal Election Commission.    » read more »

After President Uses State Of The Union To Call For Such Legislation, Franken Bill Fixes Supreme Court "Citizens United" Ruling

Washington, D.C. -- Jan 28, 2010 – Late last night, U.S. Senator Al Franken (D-Minn.) introduced the “American Elections Act of 2010” to keep foreign interests out of American elections. Franken’s bill would provide a legislative fix to the Supreme Court ruling, dubbed Citizens United, which allows corporations to spend unlimited amounts of money on American elections, effectively nullifying Minnesota’s prohibition on corporate spending on elections—a 20 year-old standard—and opening a door for foreign governments to interfere with American democracy.    » read more »

Legislation follows U.S. Supreme Court 5-4 decision to reverse late-campaign advertisements funded by corporations and unions.

January 26, 2010 -- WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ-8) believes what the U.S. Supreme Court made wrong the U.S. Congress can make right again, which is why today he introduced comprehensive legislation to keep foreign influence out of American elections.    » read more »

Jan 25, 2010 -- WASHINGTON, DC -- Congressman Jim Himes (CT-4) released the following statement in response to the Supreme Court decision in the case of Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, which overturns long-held limits on corporate and union contributions in campaign financing.

“The Supreme Court's decision to allow unlimited third-party political advertising practically hangs a ‘For Sale’ sign on the U.S. Capitol, giving corporations, shadowy interest groups, and unions permission to spend limitless amounts to influence elections.

"This decision undermines the voice of the individual constituents I represent. We need to return to a system of one person--one vote, but this pushes us in the direction of one dollar--one vote.”    » read more »

Hall Bill Will Block Corporations with Foreign Shareholders or Principals from U.S. Political Elections; Bill Would Create Strict Ban on Advertising by Companies Under Any Level of Foreign Control

January 26, 2010 -- Washington, DC – In the wake of the Supreme Court's decision last week to allow unlimited spending by corporations in federal election campaigns, U.S. Rep. John Hall (D-New York) announced legislation today that would ban campaign spending by corporations which are under even minimal foreign ownership or control.    » read more »

January 21, 2010 -- Washington, D.C.--The U.S. Supreme Court, in its ruling in the case Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, struck down significant portions of campaign finance laws. In particular, the case removed restrictions in place for decades that have limited campaign spending from corporations. The Sierra Club offered the following comments in response.

Statement of Cathy Duvall, Political Director of Sierra Club

"We are extremely troubled and dismayed by today's decision. It appears that the High Court confirmed our worst fears with its sweeping ruling that cast aside the laws that protected us from unlimited corporate campaign spending.    » read more »

January 21, 2010 -- Today, the Supreme Court further tilted the playing field in favor of business corporations in public elections. By allowing unlimited corporate treasury expenditures that explicitly support or oppose particular candidates, the Court has increased the already excessive influence that corporations exert in our electoral system.

And we believe the Court wrongly treated corporate expenditures the same as union expenditures, contrary to the arguments we made in our brief in this case.

Unions, unlike businesses, are democratically-controlled, nonprofit membership organizations representing working men and women across the country, and their independent speech should accordingly be given greater protection.    » read more »

Public Citizen Calls for Constitutional Amendment to Reverse Decision; Statement of Robert Weissman, President, Public Citizen

Shed a tear for our democracy. Today, in the case Citizens United v. FEC, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that corporations have a First Amendment right to spend unlimited amounts of money to influence election outcomes.

Money from Exxon, Goldman Sachs, Pfizer and the rest of the Fortune 500 is already corroding the policy making process in Washington, state capitals and city halls. Today, the Supreme Court tells these corporate giants that they have a constitutional right to trample our democracy.    » read more »

Americans deserve accountability, transparency and ethical standards for corporate electoral activity in light of the Supreme Court’s decision in Citizens United says CtW Chair Anna Burger

January 21, 2010 -- WASHINGTON, DC -- Anna Burger, Chair of Change to Win, released the following statement condemning today’s United States Supreme Court decision Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission:    » read more »

January 23, 2010 -- WASHINGTON – In this week’s address, President Barack Obama vowed to continue fighting for the American people to ensure their voices are heard over the special interests and lobbyists in Washington, despite this week’s Supreme Court decision to further empower corporations to use their financial clout to directly influence elections.

Remarks of President Barack Obama
As Prepared for Delivery
Weekly Address
January 23, 2010    » read more »

January 21, 2010 -- "With its ruling today, the Supreme Court has given a green light to a new stampede of special interest money in our politics.

"It is a major victory for big oil, Wall Street banks, health insurance companies and the other powerful interests that marshal their power every day in Washington to drown out the voices of everyday Americans.

"This ruling gives the special interests and their lobbyists even more power in Washington--while undermining the influence of average Americans who make small contributions to support their preferred candidates.

"That's why I am instructing my Administration to get to work immediately with Congress on this issue. We are going to talk with bipartisan Congressional leaders to develop a forceful response to this decision.    » read more »

January 22, 2010 -- Two Algerian detainees, Hasan Zemiri and Adil Hadi al Jazairi Bin Hamlili, have been transferred from the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay to the custody and control of the Government of Algeria.

As directed by the President’s Jan. 22, 2009 Executive Order, the interagency Guantanamo Review Task Force conducted a comprehensive review of these cases. As a result of that review, which examined a number of factors, including the potential threat posed by each individual and the receiving country’s demonstrated capabilities to mitigate potential threats posed by the individuals in their home country, each detainee was approved for transfer.    » read more »

"It Undermines the ‘Will of the People'"

Jan 21, 2010 -- Washington, D.C. -- Rep. Anna G. Eshoo (D-Palo Alto) released the following statement on the Supreme Court's decision to reject corporate spending limits in electoral campaigns:    » read more »

January 21, 2010 -- Washington, DC -- Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (CT-3) released the following statement in response to the 5-4 Supreme Court decision handed down today in Citizens United v. FEC:

“With this ill-advised spate of judicial activism, five Supreme Court justices have struck down the distinction between individuals and corporations in election law and opened the floodgates to a hostile corporate takeover of our democratic process.    » read more »