In the last quarter-century, the Supreme Court has made a few decisions that students will be studying, like they do now of Dred Scott and Santa Clara County v. Southern Pacific Railroad, to learn how justice can go terribly, terribly wrong.
In a 5-4 decision today, the SCOTUS decided that campaign funding cannot be limited for corporate entities. It declared that corporations and human beings are equal in their rights to free speech... thus now giving corporations an unlimited platform from which to influence political and military agendas, and everything from foreign aid to spy networks, school lunch programs to Head Start.
Do YOU have a billion dollars to buy advertising? Do YOU have a billion dollars to pay agencies to craft your influence on public debate?
Thought not.
If you thought lobbyists and other organizations had too much influence before.... boy, you ain’t seen nuthin’ yet.
Read the story in TNYT HERE.
UPDATE JANUARY 21:
The decision in plain English HERE.
The actual decision, as written by Justice Kennedy, HERE. (Begins on page 8 of the PDF.)
The actual dissent, as written by Stevens, HERE. (Begins on page 88 of the PDF.)
From his introduction:
”The Court’s ruling threatens to undermine the integrity of elected institutions across the Nation. The path it has taken to reach its outcome will, I fear, do damage to this institution.”
The last time the Supreme Court made a decision of this nature, and in this fashion, we won eight years of neglect, internal strife, bitterness, acrimony, war.... what do we win this time?
