SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
California Legislature Approves Resolution Opposing Citizens United Ruling
California on Thursday became the largest state in the nation to urge Congress to draft a constitutional amendment to overturn the US Supreme Court's Citizens United decision.
Jul 06, 2012
California on Thursday became the largest state in the nation to urge Congress to draft a constitutional amendment to overturn the US Supreme Court's Citizens United decision.
The state Senate voted 24 to 11 to approve Assembly Joint Resolution 22, authored by Assembly members Bob Wieckowski (D-Fremont) and Michael Allen (D-Sonoma), which call for a restoration of campaign finance laws that would eliminate unlimited corporate and private money in US election campaigns. The 2010 Citizens United ruling ignored long-standing precedent and allows corporations and so called 'Super PACs' to spend unlimited amounts of money to support or oppose candidates. The state Assembly passed the resolution in March.
"[The Senate's] vote sends a clear message that California rejects this misguided ruling made by the conservative activists on the Supreme Court," said Wieckowski. "The Legislature's action and the 50,000 Californians who wrote in support of AJR 22, show that it is time to restore sanity to our campaign finance laws. If Congress doesn't act, our electoral process will be more dominated by millionaires and billionaires and their concerns will drown out the voice of common Americans."
Robert Weissman, president of the advocacy group Public Citizen which is helping to spearhead the grassroots opposition against Citizens United across the country, described the importance of amending the constitution.
"Unless we aim to turn over control of our elections to Karl Rove, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Sheldon Adelson and a very few others, we need a constitutional amendment to reset our campaign finance system and to re-establish the principle that democracy means rule by the people, not giant corporations."
# # #
Why Your Ongoing Support Is Essential
Donald Trump’s attacks on democracy, justice, and a free press are escalating — putting everything we stand for at risk. We believe a better world is possible, but we can’t get there without your support. Common Dreams stands apart. We answer only to you — our readers, activists, and changemakers — not to billionaires or corporations. Our independence allows us to cover the vital stories that others won’t, spotlighting movements for peace, equality, and human rights. Right now, our work faces unprecedented challenges. Misinformation is spreading, journalists are under attack, and financial pressures are mounting. As a reader-supported, nonprofit newsroom, your support is crucial to keep this journalism alive. Whatever you can give — $10, $25, or $100 — helps us stay strong and responsive when the world needs us most. Together, we’ll continue to build the independent, courageous journalism our movement relies on. Thank you for being part of this community. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
California on Thursday became the largest state in the nation to urge Congress to draft a constitutional amendment to overturn the US Supreme Court's Citizens United decision.
The state Senate voted 24 to 11 to approve Assembly Joint Resolution 22, authored by Assembly members Bob Wieckowski (D-Fremont) and Michael Allen (D-Sonoma), which call for a restoration of campaign finance laws that would eliminate unlimited corporate and private money in US election campaigns. The 2010 Citizens United ruling ignored long-standing precedent and allows corporations and so called 'Super PACs' to spend unlimited amounts of money to support or oppose candidates. The state Assembly passed the resolution in March.
"[The Senate's] vote sends a clear message that California rejects this misguided ruling made by the conservative activists on the Supreme Court," said Wieckowski. "The Legislature's action and the 50,000 Californians who wrote in support of AJR 22, show that it is time to restore sanity to our campaign finance laws. If Congress doesn't act, our electoral process will be more dominated by millionaires and billionaires and their concerns will drown out the voice of common Americans."
Robert Weissman, president of the advocacy group Public Citizen which is helping to spearhead the grassroots opposition against Citizens United across the country, described the importance of amending the constitution.
"Unless we aim to turn over control of our elections to Karl Rove, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Sheldon Adelson and a very few others, we need a constitutional amendment to reset our campaign finance system and to re-establish the principle that democracy means rule by the people, not giant corporations."
# # #
California on Thursday became the largest state in the nation to urge Congress to draft a constitutional amendment to overturn the US Supreme Court's Citizens United decision.
The state Senate voted 24 to 11 to approve Assembly Joint Resolution 22, authored by Assembly members Bob Wieckowski (D-Fremont) and Michael Allen (D-Sonoma), which call for a restoration of campaign finance laws that would eliminate unlimited corporate and private money in US election campaigns. The 2010 Citizens United ruling ignored long-standing precedent and allows corporations and so called 'Super PACs' to spend unlimited amounts of money to support or oppose candidates. The state Assembly passed the resolution in March.
"[The Senate's] vote sends a clear message that California rejects this misguided ruling made by the conservative activists on the Supreme Court," said Wieckowski. "The Legislature's action and the 50,000 Californians who wrote in support of AJR 22, show that it is time to restore sanity to our campaign finance laws. If Congress doesn't act, our electoral process will be more dominated by millionaires and billionaires and their concerns will drown out the voice of common Americans."
Robert Weissman, president of the advocacy group Public Citizen which is helping to spearhead the grassroots opposition against Citizens United across the country, described the importance of amending the constitution.
"Unless we aim to turn over control of our elections to Karl Rove, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Sheldon Adelson and a very few others, we need a constitutional amendment to reset our campaign finance system and to re-establish the principle that democracy means rule by the people, not giant corporations."
# # #
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.