SCOTUS plays Geppetto, decides a corporation is a boy

[Huckleman2000]

The Supremes channeled Boxlicker in their reasoning to eliminate corporate spending limits in Citizens United vs FEC (pdf).

Here's a summary of the case and arguments.

And here is the always-insightful Dahlia Lithwick:

But you can plainly see the weariness in Stevens eyes and hear it in his voice today as he is forced to contend with a legal fiction that has come to life today, a sort of constitutional Frankenstein moment when corporate speech becomes even more compelling than the "voices of the real people" who will be drowned out. Even former Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist once warned that treating corporate spending as the First Amendment equivalent of individual free speech is "to confuse metaphor with reality." Today that metaphor won a very real victory at the Supreme Court. And as a consequence some very real corporations are feeling very, very good.

 

[JackLuis]

I saw that today. What can you expect of the Roberts Court? It's all GW's fault, again.

 

[rgraham666]

Pity the corporations don't have any of the duties along with the privileges.

 

[Huckleman2000]

Hmm...the Usual Wingnuts must be awaiting their viewpoint to arrive from Central Command.

How can they reconcile their blind fixation on the Free Market when it extends to purchasing elections? How do they view their supreme Rights of Individuals with the new protected class of Corporate Super-Citizen? Can they still bleat "Activist Judge" with the same loathing sneer?

 

[Freefall_mc]

Am I alone in worrying about corporate international interests? And vice versa.

 

[JackLuis]

A least one Congressman has balls.

Alan Grayson (D FLA) has introduced legislation to curb the excesses of the Robert's court.

Will it work?

 

[JackLuis]

Supreme Court ruling makes every politician ‘a prostitute’

Keith Olberman describes the "Apocalypse to Come."

Now instead of half of our Pol's being whores, all will be whores. Who won't give you a blow job.

 

[DeeZire]

One scenario suggests that corporate interests could buy up all the ad time on TV and radio, making it impossible for anyone else to purchase advertising slots. On the plus side, it could be a windfall for newspapers, at least during the election season. Whether they'll still be in business two years from now remains to be seen.