Citizens United

SOUNDING OFF ABOUT THE MONEY IN POLITICS!

Plutocrats United: Campaign Money, the Supreme Court, and the Distortion of American Elections, by Richard L. Hasen (Yale University Press, New Haven, Connecticut, 2016, 241 pages).

Book Review by Dennis Moore

May 28, 2016 (San Diego’s East County) - Plutocrats United: Campaign Money, the Supreme Court, and the Distortion of American Elections, this scholarly and insightful book by Richard L. Hasen, a leading expert on election law, gives a compelling answer to the dilemmas of money in politics, and comes at a time when presidential candidates such as Bernie Sanders has as his mantra campaign finance and reform. Hasen, Chancellor’s Professor of Law and Political Science at the University of California, Irvine, has written this book in the midst of one of the most unusual presidential campaigns in memory, where the character and personas of Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders seem to shape our political history and agendas.


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SENATE PASSES CONSTITUTIONAL ADMENDMENT TO OVERTURN CITIZENS UNITED

 

Measure faces tough hurdle in GOP-controlled House

By Miriam Raftery

September 8, 2014 (Washington D.C.)--The U.S. Supreme Court decision in the Citizens United case threw out campaign finance restrictions and ruled that corporations, unions and other special interests can make virtually unlimited contributions to political campaigns.  Critics have argued that this is bad for democracy, giving powerful special interests too much influence on elections.


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CALIFORNIA SUPREME COURT PULLS CITIZENS UNITED PROPOSITION OFF BALLOT

 

By Miriam Raftery

August 12, 2014 (San Francisco)--The California SupremeCourt has ruled that California voters can’t vote on a ballot initiative asking their views on limiting campaign spending—at least, not in November.

Prop 49 was set to be on the November ballot. It would have asked voters if they think Congress should overturn the Supreme Court’s ruling in the controversial Citizens United decision, which allowed virtually unlimited corporate spending on campaigns.  A Constitutional amendment has been proposed to restrict corporate money in elections.


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LEMON GROVE CITY COUNCIL TABLES A RESOLUTION ON CITIZENS UNITED FOR LATER DATE

 

 

By Nadin Abbott

Photos by Tom Abbott

July 5, 2013 (Lemon Grove)—On July 2, the Lemon Grove City Council decided to table a motion to support a Constitutional Amendment that would overturn the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Citizens v. Federal Elections Commission

The high court ruled in 2010 that corporations had a right to virtually unlimited campaign contributions.  Allowing companies to inject massive amounts of money into the political system has led to some of the most expensive elections in American history.

The effort was led by Councilmember George Gastil (photo). Before speakers from both Common Cause and Money out of Politics addressed the Council, Gastil went into some of the problems with the decision, which could ultimately impact municipalities such as Lemon Grove.


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LEMON GROVE COUNCIL TO WEIGH RESOLUTION CALLING FOR CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT TO OVERTURN CITIZENS UNITED DECISION

 

June 29, 2013 (Lemon Grove) – At the request of Council members George Gastil and Racquel Vasquez, Lemon Grove’s City Council on July 2 will consider a request from Money Out of Politics (MOP) to adopt a resolution to limit the influence of money in politics. Thirteen state legislatures and many cities, including San Diego and Los Angeles, have already adopted similar resolutions.

The resolution opposes the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in the Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission case. The high court found limits on corporate campaign contributions to be illegal, finding that corporations have rights similar to citizens. 

The MOP resolution calls on Congress to begin the process of amending the U.S. Constitution t to make clear that corporations are not people and thus are not entitled to the rights and protections of citizens.


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REP. SUSAN DAVIS SPONSORS MEASURE TO REPEAL CITIZENS UNITED RULING

 

February 7, 2013 (Washington D.C.)--Congresswoman Susan Davis (D-San Diego) joined Rep. Donna Edwards (D-MD) and more than two dozen of her colleagues in introducing a constitutional amendment to undo the Supreme Court ruling that allowed corporations to spend unlimited amounts of money on campaigns.

“We need to restore accountability in our political process,” said Rep. Davis. “We are supposed to have a government of the people, by the people, for the people. The integrity of our democracy is at stake when corporations can drown out the voices of the people in our elections.”


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CA POISED TO SET PRECEDENT, DEMAND CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT TO OVERTURN CITIZENS UNITED RULING

 Legislature to weigh resolution calling for end to unlimited corporate political spending

March 17, 2012 (Sacramento) – On March 20, the California Assembly Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing and vote on Assembly Joint Resolution 22. The resolution calls for a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling that allowed corporations to spend unlimited sums to influence elections.

If the Legislature approves the measure, as expected, California would be among the first states to formally call for an amendment. The effort is part of a national movement taking place in more than 1,000 cities and towns across America.


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