Monday, September 10, 2012

Are Corporations "people?"

"Corporations are NOT people,"
 said Elizabeth Warren at the DNC


"After recognizing that we shouldn’t limit the speech of corporations in political matters, it dawned on me that we shouldn’t limit corporations at all,” said Justice Roberts.  “Corporations, after all, are people, too.”

In the majority opinion, Justice Alito opined, “If I can vote, run for office, own a gun, and get married, then corporations should be able to do the same.”

"Corporations ARE people," says Mitt

And if you abide by the Supreme Court of the United States, the ultimate law of the land, who is right, Elizabeth or Mitt?

If Ms. Warren had said, "I don't agree with the Supreme Court that corporations are people," I might have agreed with her sentiments. If Mr. Romney had said, "Corporations are people because the Supreme Court has ruled them as such" I would agree with him. Or if he had said, the First Amendment protects political speech by corporations, I might have agreed with him.

"Political speech does not lose First Amendment protection simply because its source is a corporation," the Supreme Court held in the 2010 Citizens United case. "Montana's arguments in support" of its law "either were already rejected in Citizens United, or fail to meaningfully distinguish that case," the court said in an unsigned one-page opinion. The court's four liberals signed their names to a dissent from Justice Stephen Breyer. Source  The Wall Street Journal

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