Posted on 05/27/2011 10:05:18 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
The reach of Citizens United v FEC just got longer, if only temporarily. Relying on the controversial ruling, a federal judge in Virginia threw out part of an indictment against two men accused of secretly reimbursing donors to Hillary Clinton with corporate cash. Judge James Cacheris ruled that Citizens United established that corporations have a right to donate to political campaigns, as well as to spend their own money:
A judge has ruled that the campaign finance law banning corporations from making contributions to federal candidates is unconstitutional. …
Cacheris says that under last year’s Citizens United Supreme Court case, corporations enjoy the same right as people to contribute to campaigns.
When Barack Obama accused the Supreme Court of overturning a century of precedent, he was very much incorrect. Citizens United only addressed about a decade’s worth of precedent that forbade corporate spending on political advertising, not contributions to candidates. Precedent prohibiting the latter does go back more than a century, however, and Cacheris’ decision would undo all of it, if upheld.
That’s a mighty big if, though. The appellate court will almost certainly take a dim view of that kind of interpretation from Citizens United. Either way, though, this issue will be on its way once more to the Supreme Court, which will have to decide whether to endorse this interpretation or to limit Citizens United to expenditures and exercise stare decisis on contributions. I’d call this a long shot to be upheld on any level, but it will make for an important — and entertaining — debate.
Since people will undoubtedly wonder, Cacheris is a Reagan appointee from 1981 and has been a senior jurist on the circuit since 1998.
The spice must flow....................
Former Travis County DA Ronnie Earl made engaging in politics a crime... a crime that only republicans can be indicted on/found guilty over.
I trust the guilty verdict will be thrown out on appeal and DeLay gets his good name back.
that was my thought...
wall street must be jumping for joy on the crony capitalism invenstments.
If corporations are legal “persons” what’s to stop the commies from demanding that unions be treated as legal “persons” too? Double-edged sword alert.
“wall street must be jumping for joy on the crony capitalism investments”
You mean because the “spice” that has been “flowing” without restriction or excuse by the broadcast media network corporations, through their massive in-kind contributions via their on-air and content bias, will now flow, on equal terms, with other corporations as well?
One man’s “crony” is just another man’s supporter.
The Supreme Court's Citizens United decision explicitly states that it applies to unions as well as corporations.
Corporations are an extension of the State and/or the Federal government and as such enjoy certain benefits and protections not afforded a citizens or private companies.
Corporations shouldn’t be allowed to promote the same government that oversees them. Allowing lobbyists is bad enough.
This is actually a Good Thing. The corporations had been forbidden to donate because many of them had the unpleasant habit of not giving it all to the Dems. On the other hand, unions were specifically exempted from the restriction and could give as much as they wanted to.
This will level the playing field and perhaps make the process more transparent.
My representative then/now is Sam Johnson... a true, real American hero.
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