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Rep. Jayapal introduces amendment to overturn Citizens United
The proposed "We the People Amendment" seeks to end corporate personhood and clarify that constitutional rights are reserved for individuals, not corporations.
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Pramila Jayapal / File Photo
Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal introduced a constitutional amendment aimed at overturning the Supreme Court's 2010 Citizens United decision, which allowed for unlimited political spending by corporations and unions.
The proposed "We the People Amendment" seeks to end corporate personhood and clarify that constitutional rights are reserved for individuals, not corporations. "Corporations are not people and money is not speech," Jayapal stated.
"In every election cycle since the disastrous Citizens United decision, we have seen more and more special interest dark money poured into campaigns across the country. My We the People Amendment returns the power to the people by finally ending corporate constitutional rights, reversing Citizens United, and ensuring that our democracy is truly of the people, by the people, and for the people—not corporations, she added
The Citizens United ruling has been a subject of intense debate since its inception. The decision led to the creation of super PACs, which can raise and spend unlimited amounts of money to influence elections, provided they do not coordinate directly with candidates. This has resulted in a significant increase in political spending by outside groups, amplifying the influence of wealthy donors and special interest organizations.
In the election cycle immediately following the Citizens United decision, independent spending increased by more than 600 percent compared to the previous cycle. This surge in spending has been linked to an imbalance in political influence, with large corporations and affluent individuals wielding greater power over elected officials than average citizens.
The "We the People Amendment" also mandates that federal, state, and local governments require all political contributions and expenditures to be publicly disclosed, aiming to increase transparency in the electoral process.
Advocacy groups have expressed support for the amendment. Dolores Guernica, with Move to Amend, stated, "The exponential growth of corporate power and corrupting political influence from huge sums of money flooding elections can only be solved with a systemic solution that is equivalent in scale to these systemic problems—the We the People Amendment, which will end all corporate constitutional rights and money as free speech."
The amendment is co-sponsored by several members of Congress, including representatives Nanette Barragán, Don Beyer, Earl Blumenauer, and Cori Bush, among others.
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