Attorney General + Citizen United Initial Release
Burlington,
VT Today Democracy for America (DFA) launched a new campaign
designed to dismantle the Citizens United decision decided by the Supreme Court
in 2010. The campaign takes on Citizens
United internally through the court system and highlights Montana Attorney
General Steve Bullocks case before the U.S. Supreme Court. The case directly challenges the two-year old
ruling. The campaign calls on Attorneys
General from across the United States to sign onto an Amicus Brief documenting
the need to overturn the 2010 Supreme Court decision.
"Citizens United corrupts our democratic process, said Jim
Dean, Chair of DFA. This campaign, courageously headed by Montanas
Attorney General Steve Bullock, demands that the Supreme Court address their
decision that allowed undisclosed amounts of money to flow into our electoral
process. Corporations are not people and
ordinary citizens should not be drowned out of democracy.
Montana Attorney General Steve Bullock
weighed in on the campaign: Attorney General Steve Bullock: The Citizens United decision opened the door to
unlimited corporate spending in our national elections, and state and local
elections could be the next to fall. For
the past two years, Americans have watched spending by anonymous, secretive
Super PACs far outpace what candidates spend on elections. Its a fantasy to suggest these expenditures
arent corrupting our political system. I applaud Democracy for Americas efforts to
make sure the voices of people still matter.
For nearly a century, the state of Montana has restricted corporate spending in
elections a direct conflict with the Citizens United ruling. Late last
year, the states Supreme Court upheld Montanas law. Bullock defended
Montanas 100 year-old law in court.
Earlier this year, the U.S. Supreme Court stayed enforcement of Montanas law
while the case is appealed before the High Court. Democracy for America
has taken steps to chip away Citizens United, first by collecting over 100,000
signatures supporting Sen. Bernie Sanders Constitutional Amendment and now
turning their efforts to the court. In just two weeks, DFA has collected
74,325 signatures from across the country urging their members Attorneys
General to sign the Amicus Brief supporting Attorney General Bullocks
fight.