Despite the fact that a majority of Americans and Senators want the Citizens United v. FEC Supreme Court decision overturned, many believe that undoing the ruling will not solve much. Overturning the ruling will just retract the idea that money is a form of free speech. Corporations will still have Constitutional rights. That’s why many activists want to go deeper and take Constitutional rights away from corporations altogether in order to give complete justice and power back to the people
“Polling shows 80% of the American public believes that corporations should not have the same rights as people” (Sopoci-Belknap 1). Due to this overwhelming controversy, US Congress began the process of voting to make an amendment that would repeal the Supreme Court decision.
On September 11, 2014, the Senate voted on moving on from the filibuster stage to a final vote for the amendment. The majority of senators voted in favor of proceeding forward. However, the majority was not the 60 votes needed. All Democrat and Independent senators, a total of 54, voted in favor while all Republican senators, 42, voted against. If the 60 votes had been met, then the final vote would then have needed two thirds of a majority to actually overturn the Supreme Court decision.
One of the largest groups that aims to abolish all corporate constitutional rights is Move to Amend with tens of thousands of volunteers and activists. They believe that corporations have taken advantage of their rights and abolishing one or two rights like the attempt to do so in September won’t stop their threat. For example, some corporations exercise their rights against unreasonable searches and seizures regarding surprise inspections. For example, slaughter houses can get out of unscheduled inspections by exercising Fourth Amendment rights. This concerns many Americans because ideally, food processing businesses should always be up to code, so why would they want to avoid inspections?
Move to Amend also compares their cause to that of abolishing slavery:
“One hundred and sixty years ago, those who believed the section of the Constitution (Art 4, Sec2) defining people as property (slavery) was fundamentally immoral didn’t call for ending one or two dimensions of slavery. They didn’t organize to establish a Slavery Protection Agency, nor ask slaveholders to sign a voluntary code of conduct to treat slaves a little less harshly. They called for abolition of the institution of slavery.”
Those who find something immoral and unjust will want to destroy all of it. These activists are going to the root of the problem and trying to erase the idea of corporate personhood entirely.
“Polling shows 80% of the American public believes that corporations should not have the same rights as people” (Sopoci-Belknap 1). Due to this overwhelming controversy, US Congress began the process of voting to make an amendment that would repeal the Supreme Court decision.
On September 11, 2014, the Senate voted on moving on from the filibuster stage to a final vote for the amendment. The majority of senators voted in favor of proceeding forward. However, the majority was not the 60 votes needed. All Democrat and Independent senators, a total of 54, voted in favor while all Republican senators, 42, voted against. If the 60 votes had been met, then the final vote would then have needed two thirds of a majority to actually overturn the Supreme Court decision.
One of the largest groups that aims to abolish all corporate constitutional rights is Move to Amend with tens of thousands of volunteers and activists. They believe that corporations have taken advantage of their rights and abolishing one or two rights like the attempt to do so in September won’t stop their threat. For example, some corporations exercise their rights against unreasonable searches and seizures regarding surprise inspections. For example, slaughter houses can get out of unscheduled inspections by exercising Fourth Amendment rights. This concerns many Americans because ideally, food processing businesses should always be up to code, so why would they want to avoid inspections?
Move to Amend also compares their cause to that of abolishing slavery:
“One hundred and sixty years ago, those who believed the section of the Constitution (Art 4, Sec2) defining people as property (slavery) was fundamentally immoral didn’t call for ending one or two dimensions of slavery. They didn’t organize to establish a Slavery Protection Agency, nor ask slaveholders to sign a voluntary code of conduct to treat slaves a little less harshly. They called for abolition of the institution of slavery.”
Those who find something immoral and unjust will want to destroy all of it. These activists are going to the root of the problem and trying to erase the idea of corporate personhood entirely.