Our “News To Make You Furious” column began with the 20th anniversary of the Exxon Valdez disaster in Alaska. Now, 10 years later, there’s another anniversary to recognize… Citizens United, the Supreme Court ruling declaring corporations are people and money is speech, just turned 10 years old. The parallels are ominous… toxic sludge dumped by a corporation destroys everything it touches, and though there was a token effort at cleanup when the spotlights were on the problem, no one much messes with it today. But the poisons are still there, activists continue to try to bring awareness, and people benefitting from the desecration continue to dissemble…
News from Back Then
The Story of Citizens United v. FEC, The Story of Stuff project, Feb 2011
Citizens United v. FEC in plain English, Lisa McElroy in SCOTUSBlog, Jan 2010
Citizens United v. FEC (Supreme Court), Federal Election Commission Website, Jan 2010
Quotes by Members of Congress on Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, People for the American Way, Jan 2010
Money Is Speech: Why the Citizens United v. FEC Ruling Is Bad for Politics and the Market, Daniel Greenwood in Dissent, Mar 2010
Corporations aren’t people, don’t merit special protections, Boston Globe Editorial Board, Jan 2010
5-4 Citizens United Ruling ‘a Revolution in Campaign Finance Law, Debra Cassens Weiss in ABA Journal, Jan 2010
What Should Congress Do About Citizens United?, Erin Miller in SCOTUSBlog, Jan 2010
Justices, 5-4, Reject Corporate Spending Limit, Adam Liptak in the New York Times, Jan 2010
Corporations are Not People: Frequently Asked Questions About Overturning Citizens United, Public Citizen website, Jan 2010
News from Today
Another Date That Will Live in Infamy: 10 Years After Citizens United, James Nelson in CounterPunch, Jan 2020
Citizens United paved the way for Trump. Ousting Trump will let us end Citizens United., Sally Kohn in USA Today, Jan 2020
Citizens United turns 10 today. Here’s what we’ve learned about dark money, Abby Wood in Washington Post, Jan 2020
Bernie Sanders: 10 Years Fighting Citizens United– Brett Wilkins on Common Dreams, Jan 2020
More money, less transparency: A decade under Citizens United, Karl Evers-Hillstrom et al, Jan 2020
The legacy of ‘Citizens United’ has been destructive. We need campaign finance reform, Fred Wertheimer in Washington Post, Jan 2020
The Case for a Constitutional Amendment to Overturn Citizens United, Bryan Bowman in The Globe Post, Feb 2019 (Interview with Wolf-PAC executive director Mike Monetta)
Seattle Takes On Citizens United, Ellen Weintraub in the New York Times, Jan 2020
10 years after landmark Citizens United Supreme Court decision, record cash flooding US elections, Devin Dwyer on ABC News, Jan 2020
The Citizens United ruling broke American democracy at the start of the decade. It never recovered, Igor Derysh in Salon, Dec 2019
News To Make You Furious – 20th anniversary of the Exxon Valdez, Tom Dwyer Automotive, Nov 2010
Bernie Sanders says Citizens United has been ‘disastrous.’ Is he right?, David Scharfenberg, Boston Globe, Jan 2020
Citizens United Backers
When you’ve waded through all this, here’s one more thing to make you Furious. While no actually believes Citizens United was good for democracy, some are paid to pretend…
It’s time for liberals to get over Citizens United, Scott Casleton in VOX, May 2018
Citizens United decision weathers 10 years of controversy, Alex Gangitano in The Hill, Jan 2020
Celebrate the Citizens United Decade, Bradley Smith in Wall Street Journal, Jan 2020
David Bossie: Supreme Court ‘Citizens United’ decision still protects the First Amendment 10 years later, FOX News, Jan 2020
Citizens United, website of David Bossie and creator of the Hillary film that prompted the Supreme Court decision
Get Involved!
Here are some of the many organizations working in various ways to overturn Citizens United…
End Citizens United- Democrats fighting for reform
ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union)
If you’re looking for groups working to keep Citizens United, sorry. They probably exist too, but we couldn’t think of a reason to look for them and you’ll just have to go find them yourself.
