A Voters Guide – 10 Facts about campaign finance
3. Corporate Personhood
Corporate personhood is a legal concept that allows corporations to be treated as people under the law. While some attack this concept as a one-way street of corporate protection, it also allows for corporations to be sued. What has come into contention over recent years is corporations’ ability to contribute to political campaigns, a practice some wish to outlaw.
In 2010 the Supreme Court issued the controversial ruling in the Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission case. The Court ruled that the First Amendment forbids government restrictions of independent political expenditures by corporations. While the ruling has become the target of left wing activism, the logic is clear: You do not relinquish your rights as an American once you become part of a corporation. And what is a corporation but an association of citizens? Which is why the same rights are extended to labor unions and other associations.
