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SUPREME COURT CONSIDERS OVERTURNING PROTECTIONS FOR DEMOCRACY
Citizens United Case More Important than Bush v. Gore to American Democracy

Washington, DC –Tomorrow, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in Citizens United v. the Federal Election Commission (FEC), a case of enormous importance for one of the basic pillars of modern American democracy – the prohibition on unlimited corporate and union spending in candidate elections.  The League of Women Voters of the United States and the Constitutional Accountability Center submitted a “friend of the court” brief in this case to help put the case in historical context and to call attention to the pernicious and corrupting effects on American democracy if the Court were to overturn existing federal and state limits on corporate expenditures in candidate elections.

“The Supreme Court’s decision in Citizens United v. FEC  has the potential to be more important than Bush v. Gore to American democracy,” according to national League President Mary G. Wilson. “This case will decide whether corporate wealth will be allowed to dominate our elections in years to come,” she said. 

“Voters are supposed to be at the center of our political process,” Wilson said. “Over time, we have constructed a solid foundation for modern American democracy through constitutional amendments, the Voting Rights Act, the principle of 'one-person, one vote,' and protections against campaign finance corruption. By knocking out important prohibitions on corporate influence in the election process, the Supreme Court could threaten that foundation and radically alter our democracy,” she said. “This case could allow corporations to use their wealth to overwhelm our elections,” she said. 

“For more than two centuries, American democracy has been moving in the direction of broader enfranchisement and more meaningful political participation of individual citizens,” Wilson said. “Legal arguments seeking political rights for corporations similar to those of individual voters run contrary to constitutional text and history and could reverse our centuries-long march of progress toward a more expansive, inclusive, citizen-based democracy,” Wilson said.

“This case and the resulting decision are not merely another set of run-of-the-mill technical, campaign finance regulations,” she said. “Basic principles that protect our democracy are at stake,” Wilson concluded.

Reporters covering this case and wishing to speak with Ms. Wilson should contact Kelly Ceballos at kceballos@lwv.org or 202-263-1331.

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The League of Women Voters, a nonpartisan political organization, encourages informed and active participation in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influences public policy through education and advocacy.