May 23, 2012

Even Mississippi Calls For The Supreme Court To Overturn Citizens United

Even Mississippi Calls For The Supreme Court To Overturn Citizens United(No offense, Mississippi.)

Last week, Senators John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) filed a friend-of-the-court brief urging the U.S. Supreme Court to let stand a decision by the Montana Supreme Court, American Tradition Partnership vs. Bullock, upholding the state’s ban on outside election spending by corporations. The anti-environmental group American Tradition Partnership contends that Montana’s law conflicts directly with the Supreme Court’s 2010 Citizens United decision.

Meanwhile, 22 states and the District of Columbia are backing Montana. Led by  New York, they’re saying that the Montana law is different from the federal issues addressed by Citizens United. Surprisingly, one of those states is among the most conservative in the country, Mississippi.

Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood has taken the lead in his state’s actions against Citizens United. He was the only Democrat elected statewide last year. Even then, he saw the problems posed by unlimited corporate spending on elections:

Hood says Democratic troubles might not just be about message, but also about money.

“The problem has been with the Citizens United decision by the US Supreme court, that has created a problem where corporations can dump money on Republican candidates and they can get their message out and just snow yours under. So that is a problem that will take some adjustments,” Hood said.

Thousands of United Republic members also signed a letter asking the court to overturn the disastrous ruling. You can add your name here.