January, 21 2010, 10:12am EDT
Roberts Court Puts Corporate Power above Individual Rights
WASHINGTON
In response to today's Supreme
Court ruling in Citizens United v. FEC,
People For the American Way president Michael B. Keegan released the following
statement:
"Today's ruling is yet another example of selective
enforcement of constitutional rights by the Roberts Court. Chief Justice John Roberts
and other conservatives on the Court claim to be committed to judicial
restraint and respect for precedent. But they demonstrated that they will
gladly set those principles aside when it suits their ideology.
"It is a long-established principle that the government can act
in the interest of democracy to prevent corporations from pouring in billions
of dollars to unduly influence elections. Congress and state legislatures
across the nation have enacted legislation based on this principle for decades
and with bipartisan backing. But today the Roberts Court decided that it knew
better. Given conservative rhetoric about deference to the democratically
elected branches, today's ruling is stunning.
"The Roberts Court
seems to be most concerned about constitutional rights when they pertain to
business, government, or other powerful interests. Today, not for the first
time, the Court privileged corporations over individual Americans. This
decision is proof positive that the Supreme Court has lurched dangerously to
the right."
People For the American Way works to build a democratic society that implements the ideals of freedom, equality, opportunity and justice for all. We encourage civic participation, defend fundamental rights, and fight to dismantle systemic barriers to equitable opportunity. We fight against right-wing extremism and the injustice it fosters.
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Dec 12, 2024
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said Thursday that he is "deeply concerned" by Israel's "recent and extensive violations of Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity," including a ground invasion and airstrikes carried out by the Israel Defense Forces in the war-torn Mideastern nation.
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Addressing the assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson and conversations it has sparked about the country's for-profit system, longtime Medicare for All advocate Sen. Bernie Sanders on Wednesday condemned the murder and stressed that getting to universal coverage will require a movement challenging corporate money in politics.
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Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.)—a co-sponsor of Sanders' Medicare for All Act—similarly toldHuffPost in a Tuesday interview, "The visceral response from people across this country who feel cheated, ripped off, and threatened by the vile practices of their insurance companies should be a warning to everyone in the healthcare system."
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