Essentially, five Justices were unhappy with the limited nature of the case before us, so they changed the case to give themselves an opportunity to change the law.

— An excerpt from Justice John Paul Stevens’ sharply worded dissent in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, joined by his colleagues Sonia Sotomayor, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and Stephen Breyer.

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• Corporations United Fallout

Mother Jones analyzes Corporations United 

Mother Jones’ Nick Baumann provides a concise rundown of the Corporations United decision, highlighting the themes of John Paul Stevens’ dissenting opinion, and suggests that John Roberts and his pals have proved that the “activist judges” label belongs to conservative jurists.

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• Corporations United Fallout

The will of the people should never be thwarted by the corporate bottom line and decisions made in boardrooms should never dictate outcomes in the ballot box. Yet with this decision the democratic process can now be bullied by those whose interests are defined by profit margins.

— Washington’s own senior United States Senator Patty Murray, blasting the conservative Supreme Court majority’s decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission. Murray noted that it would be unlikely that her own first campaign could have succeeded under this decision.

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• Corporations United Fallout

The Court’s ruling threatens to undermine the integrity of elected institutions across the Nation. The path it has taken to reach its outcome will, I fear, do damage to this institution.

— An excerpt from Justice John Paul Stevens’ sharply worded dissent in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, joined by his colleagues Sonia Sotomayor, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and Stephen Breyer.

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• Corporations United Fallout

Public Citizen says Supreme Court has undone democracy 

The president of one of the organizations on the losing side of Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, Robert Weissman of Public Citizen, vowed that a large grassroots movement, including public interest groups, would immediately seek to mitigate the damage from the decision and then reverse it. 

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• Corporations United Fallout

Our lawmakers have a compelling constitutional basis, if not also a democratic duty, to take measures designed to guard against the potentially deleterious effects of corporate spending in local and national races.

— An excerpt from Justice John Paul Stevens’ sharply worded dissent in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, joined by his colleagues Sonia Sotomayor, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and Stephen Breyer.

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• Corporations United Fallout

PFAW suggests constitutional amendment needed to overturn Corporations United decision 

In its response to the Supreme Court’s “Corporations United” decision, People for the American Way calls for a new constitutional amendment to redefine corporations and prevent John Roberts’ gang from destroying free speech in America.

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• Corporations United Fallout

In the context of election to public office, the distinction between corporate and human speakers is significant. Although they make enormous contributions to our society, corporations are not actually members of it. They cannot vote or run for office.

— An excerpt from Justice John Paul Stevens’ sharply worded dissent in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, joined by his colleagues Sonia Sotomayor, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and Stephen Breyer.

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• Corporations United Fallout