Citizen United to be Reviewed: Chance to Reverse Citizen’s United Before Presidential Elections

Democracy, elections, and voting at Democracy Chronicles

If the recent FCC decision to require television stations to reveal the details of political spending wasn’t good enough news from the Federal Government, the Supreme Court just made an opening for colossal progress for better elections. The Supreme Court has agreed to see another case that will give it the opportunity, if it desires, to reverse the hated Citizen’s United decision that brought corporate money surging into our political system behind closed doors and in unprecedented fashion. Rick Hasen at the Election Law Blog had a link to a great article about the issue from the American Bar Association’s news outlet, the ABA Journal.

Trevor Potter, co-chair of the advisory committee to the American Bar Association’s Standing Committee on Election Law and head of the political law practice at Washington, D.C.’s Caplin & Drysdale, remarked that, “the notion that corporations are disadvantaged in the political realm is unbelievable.”

Potter said that the Supreme Court Justices who wanted Citizen’s United, “must be surprised at how badly this has gone, not only in the president openly criticizing the court but also in the public furor. The decision was based on a misunderstanding of the consequences and of the law, and we’re seeing the results.” Activists are encouraged as Citizen United to be reviewed. The article continued:

“While super PACs are enlivening the 2012 campaign, the Supreme Court may not yet be done with Citizens United. In late February it stayed a surprising Montana Supreme Court ruling that stunned election experts by ignoring Citizens United altogether and upholding the state’s ban on independent corporate spending in state elections.”

A petition for a writ of certiorari was filed March 27. If the court accepts the petition, the case will be argued during the court’s 2012 session—possibly in time for election day, Nov. 6.”