Montana had an excellent campaign finance law, over 100 years old, and upheld by the State Supreme Court. They believed. and rightly so, that filthy-rich individuals and corporations could drown out the free speech of Main Street citizens through massive spending, leading to a more corrupt government. Today, the fascist five Republican activists on SCOTUS overturned Montana’s law.
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday followed up on its 2010 ruling that unleashed corporate spending in federal elections, reversing a decision that upheld a century-old Montana law restricting business political campaign expenditures.
By a 5-4 vote, the high court ruled for three corporations – a political advocacy group called American Tradition Partnership Inc, a nonprofit that promotes shooting sports and a small family-owned painting business – that challenged the law for violating their free-speech rights.
In 2010, by a 5-4 vote in splitting along conservative-liberal ideological lines, the Supreme Court gave corporations the constitutional free-speech right to spend freely to support or oppose political candidates in federal elections, a ruling sharply criticized by President Barack Obama.
The decision two years ago has triggered a massive increase in campaign spending that affected the elections for Congress in 2010 and has reshaped the political races ahead of the November 6 presidential and congressional elections.
The Montana Supreme Court upheld the state law, ruling the 2010 decision did not control the outcome because Montana’s law was different and justified by the state’s interest in preventing corporate corruption and influence in politics… [emphasis added]
Inserted from <Reuters>
This is an ironic exhibition of just how flexible the rabid right become at ignoring their own convictions, when convenience dictates. On most issues, Republicans maintain that states’ rights supersede always, but that seems to apply only when such a view furthers their own ends.
This case was incorrectly decided, highlighting the need to keep a Democrat in the White House in order to restore Constitutional consideration to the Supreme Court.
18 Responses to “SCOTUS Doubles Down on Citizens United”
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Good video by the Governor and Lt. Governor of Montana telling the SCROTUS to shove it. Check out the MoveToAmend.org site for specific legislation. Watch the YouTube vid here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ditFMj2EhUQ
Excellent Marva! When a Democrat Governor and a Republican Lt Governor agree on something like this, that is politics as it should be.
… like a Montana prairie fire …
Good thing, in this case anyway, that Willard and co say firefighters are not needed!
http://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/7003/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=10954
I'm hoping this link works. If not and to add your name to support an amendment to the constitution outlawing corporations as people copy and paste
http://democracyinaction.org
Great links, Marva and Patty.
Thank you Marva, I look to watch this right away…
SCROTUS blew it….
You sure have that right!
How much evidence do we need of the bought and paid for Fascist Five ? A model of corruption—All I can say is VOTE !!!!!
Amen, Phyllis!
"…because Montana’s law was different and justified by the state’s interest in preventing corporate corruption and influence in politics…"
So, it is now very evident that SCOTUS has no interest in the rule of law, the constitution, states' rights, fairness, nor democracy. Its only concern is in promoting corporate corruption and influence in politics.
During his Gettysburg address, Lincoln used the occasion "…to exhort the listeners (and the nation) to ensure the survival of America's representative democracy, that the "government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."
I said some time ago that the way things were going, I felt like a second American Revolution was on the horizon. But I should really call it a Second Civil War since it is American against American, not America against the British Crown. We see so much incivility in politics, both state and federal; no meeting of minds; no governing of the people, by the people, for the people. There is no compromise. The Republican/Teabaggers have stacked the Supreme Court with partisan appointments who have rendered of, by, and for the people null and void with their Citizens United decision.
The country that once held high the ideal of government of, by and for the people has fallen from grace with government of, by and for the corporations and the wealthiest 1%.
The only way out is to use your vote in November to restore government of, by and for the people.
Vote Democrat 2012!!!!! Vote Obama/Biden 2012!!!!!
Lynn, I agree. I fear that, if Republicans get control, the lot of Main Street Americans will become so pathetic, and their control over elections so strong, that the end will be violence.
It's time for a Constitutional amendment, to stop all this money.
I'd even settle for that much-heralded concept of Transparency.
It's seems eminently fair that we should at least know what corporatist is donating to what repubican, and how much s/he is paying them to buy our government so they can make themselves richer.
Steve, Nameless makes a good point.
While I agree with you, the hurdles to an amendment are high time consuming. If we can keep Republicand ouyt of the White House for 8-12 years, we can de-fang this Court.
Secessions will begin within 5 years, only this time, they will begin in the northeast and west coast. And they will be wholly justified by the complete and utter abandonment of the United States Constitution on the part of all 3 Branches of Government.
You may be right, JR. The US of Canada and Supply-side Jesustan. 😉
Typical move for this corporatist SCOTUS. 100 years oflegal precedence can just go to hell in their mind — they are so wedded to corporatism, in fact, that it even trumps their old "states rights" concepts.
My point, exactly, Pope Jack!