Ald. Moore Presents Resolution To Overturn Citizens United
By aaroncynic in News on Jun 28, 2012 3:00PM
In the wake of the Supreme Court ruling regarding American Tradition Partnership Inc. V. Bullock, a case which affirmed its decision regarding the Citizens United case two years ago which allowed corporations and unions to spend money in election campaigns, Ald. Joe Moore (49th) has introduced a resolution to the Chicago City Council calling for a Constitutional Amendment to overturn Citizens United. In a 5 to 4 vote along party lines, the Supreme Court reversed a Montana State Supreme Court decision rejecting a challenge to a law which prohibited corporations from making “an expenditure in connection with a candidate or a political committee that supports or opposes a candidate or political party.” The Court concluded that “independent expenditures, including those made by corporations, do not give rise to corruption or the appearance of corruption.”
In a statement on the 49th Ward’s website, Moore wrote:
“The Court’s decision flies in the face of reality. In Illinois, we have tragically experienced firsthand the corrosive and distorting effect of unregulated and unlimited campaign donations on the body politic. Unregulated money and political corruption go hand in hand.”
Moore’s three page resolution says that the Mayor, City Council and City of Chicago “call upon the United States Congress to propose and send to the states for ratification a Constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United v. Federal Elections Commission” and demands that an amendment to the Constitution makes it clear that rights it protects are the rights of “natural persons” and do not extend to corporations.
Moore’s resolution is part of a larger national effort by various state legislatures and city councils to reverse the Citizens United decision and reject the idea of corporate personhood, particularly concerning elections.
2010 saw record spending during election season, thanks in part, to the Citizens United decision. 2012 could be the most expensive election in U.S. history. According to a study by advertising agency Borrell Associates, candidates and PAC’s could spend an estimated $9.8 billion this election. Already, election spending for 2012 is close to $1 billion.