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ellisonz

(27,737 posts)
Tue Apr 3, 2012, 12:28 PM Apr 2012

Democracy for America Launches New Campaign to Attack Citizens United

Released: Apr 3, 2012 12:44 PM

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, coordinated with Montana Attorney General Steve Bullock takes on Citizens United internally through the court system. 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 Montana’s 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:

"Two years ago, one decision by the U.S. Supreme Court opened the door to unlimited corporate spending in our national elections and introduced us to Super PACs. The Citizens United decision is drowning out the voices of regular Americans," Steve Bullock said. "People, not corporate treasuries, should decide elections. I applaud Democracy for America's efforts to bring more voices into this process and give an important platform to Montana's case before the Supreme Court."

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 state’s Supreme Court upheld Montana’s law. Bullock defended Montana’s 100 year-old law in court.

Earlier this year, the U.S. Supreme Court stayed enforcement of Montana’s 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 Bullock’s fight.

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DFA Press Release
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