Citizens United Topics

Democracy Now! reports on the controversial Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court on January 21, 2010. The ruling characterizes political spending as free speech and opened the floodgates for unlimited corporate spending on election campaigns. Critics argue that corporations should not be given the same First Amendment rights as people and that the ruling will greatly influence American politics and corrupt the election process.

Newest First | Oldest First
  • Debate-bonifaz-schmitt

    Overturning Citizens United: Is a Constitutional Amendment the Best Path to Limit Dark Money?

    On Tuesday, Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Democratic Rep. Ted Deutch of Florida introduced a constitutional amendment to overturn the Supreme Court’s 2010 landmark Citizens United ruling that cleared the way for corporations and other special interest groups to spend unlimited amounts of money on elections. The bill is part of a growing movement to overturn the ruling. Today we host a debate on whether the push for a constitutional...
    Mar 13, 2013 | Story
  • White_house

    Selling the White House? Obama-Linked Group Promises Top Donors Access to President

    The watchdog group Common Cause is calling on President Obama to shut down the outside group Organizing for Action after revelations the group is promising high-end donors access to the White House. According to The New York Times, donors who contribute $500,000 or more will be appointed to the group’s national advisory board, which meets four times a year with the president. Organizing for Action was set up by former Obama campaign officials...
    Feb 27, 2013 | Story
  • Liz_bartolomeo

    The Big Money Inauguration: Obama Kicks Off Second Term with Help of Unlimited Corporate Donations

    At his inauguration four years ago, President Obama refused to accept corporate donations, but this year ExxonMobil, AT&T and Microsoft are among the biggest backers of the festivities. With Obama now accepting unlimited corporate funding, donors have been offered a number of sponsorship options, including the top tier of $1 million for institutions and $250,000 for individuals. In contrast, corporate, lobbyist and political action committee...
    Jan 21, 2013 | Story
  • Voting

    From Marriage Equality to Legalizing Marijuana, Election Day Ballot Measures Won by Movements

    While much attention was fixed on the presidential race, the 2012 election also saw voters decide on a series of landmark ballot initiatives at the state level. Advocates of marriage equality ended Tuesday with four out of four victories, as voters legalized same-sex marriage in Maine and Maryland, upheld same-sex marriage in Washington state, and defeated a measure to ban same-sex marriage in Minnesota. Maryland voters also affirmed the DREAM...
    Nov 07, 2012 | Story
  • Stop_obama_1-1

    In Landmark Ruling, "Dark Money" Group Tied to Citizens United Ordered to Reveal Its Donors

    As Democracy Now! has previously reported, one of every four dollars spent on the campaign ads, direct mail and robocalls that target voters now comes from so-called "dark money" organizations. The IRS lets these groups keep their donors secret because they are considered "social welfare non-profits." But that changed this past Friday when a Montana judge ordered the release of one such group’s bank records. An investigation...
    Nov 06, 2012 | Story
  • Elk

    Koch Brothers Among U.S. Billionaires Pressuring Thousands of Employees to Vote GOP on Election Day

    A new exposé raises alarming questions about the ability of corporations to influence the voting decisions of their employees. In an article published by "In These Times" magazine, labor journalist Mike Elk examines the contents of a voter information packet that Koch Industries sent to tens of thousands of employees at its subsidiary, Georgia-Pacific. The packet advised the employees on whom to vote for and warned them of the dire...
    Oct 15, 2012 | Story
  • Liz_bartolomeo-dnc2012

    It's Party Time: Corporations, Donors with Billions at Stake Fund Lavish Events at DNC

    The celebratory mood in Charlotte was on display Tuesday night as thousands of delegates kicked off the Democratic National Convention and millions watched on TV. But the political party continues beyond what the public sees on prime-time broadcasts or even inside the convention center. There are exclusive events underway that range from corporate-sponsored parties hosted by the powerful Democratic Governors Association to a Super-O-Rama party...
    Sep 05, 2012 | Story
  • Peter_stone

    Despite Focus on Convention Floor, Major Decisions at RNC Made by Wealthy Donors Behind Closed Doors

    As the Republican National Convention opened on Tuesday in Tampa, thousands of journalists were there to cover the story. At the same time, secretive meetings were being held behind closed doors across the city that could determine who wins the election in November. According to the Huffington Post, at one such meeting on Tuesday, the Karl Rove-founded Crossroads groups, representatives of the billionaires Charles and David Koch, and the U.S....
    Aug 29, 2012 | Story
  • Rove_article_ok

    Inside Karl Rove's Secretive Effort to Defeat Obama's Re-Election With Help of Billionaire Donors

    Karl Rove, the man once known as "Bush’s Brain," has helped found two groups that plan to raise hundreds of millions of dollars for television, radio and online attacks ads to defeat President Obama and restore Republican control of Washington this November. The groups — American Crossroads, whose donors are public, and Crossroads GPS, a so-called "social welfare" organization whose donors are anonymous —...
    Jul 26, 2012 | Story
  • Amys_column_default

    Big Money Wins in the Big Skies of Montana

    By Amy Goodman with Denis Moynihan

    “I never bought a man who wasn’t for sale,” William A. Clark reportedly said. He was one of Montana’s “Copper Kings,” a man who used his vast wealth to manipulate the state government and literally buy votes to make himself a U.S. senator. That was more than 100 years ago, and the blatant corruption of Clark and the other Copper Kings created a furor that led to the passage, by citizen initiative,...

    Jun 28, 2012 | Columns & Articles