Montana Flies Under the National Radar on an Important Issue

[theKed]

Montana, you magnificent bastards.

There’s one big, but overlooked, development from the election last night: In Montana, a referendum to state that corporations don’t have constitutional rights has unofficially passed by a 75 percent to 25 percent margin. Initiative number 166 stated that “corporations are not entitled to constitutional rights because they are not human beings,” and thus is a blow to the Citizen’s United ruling that helped make this presidential election the most expensive one ever.

Montana has been a leader in trying to buck Citizen’s United, the 2010 Supreme Court ruling that equated money with free speech and allowed corporations to contribute unlimited amounts of money to campaigns through super PACs. In June, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a ruling by the Montana Supreme Court that limited political spending in state and local elections. That ruling, which came without a hearing as liberal justices wanted, only strengthened Citizen’s United, but now Montana’s voting populace has fired back.

It’s unclear right now what will happen next. While the initiative states that corporations are not human beings and thus don’t have constitutional rights — Citizen’s United was based on an interpretation of the First Amendment — any changes to spending rules in state and local elections are likely to wind up in the Supreme Court again, which may or may not prompt an actual review of Citizen’s United. (Some folks think that the Supreme Court is finally ready to take another look at what has become one of its most controversial rulings in ages, especially now that the election is over.) But one thing is for sure: In Montana, unlimited corporate spending on elections is resoundingly unpopular.

http://motherboard.vice.com/2012/11/7/montana-quietly-passed-a-measure-that-says-corporations-aren-t-humans--2

[Panasonic]

1. Colorado also passed an anti-CU ballot - Amendment 65 - also symbolic....

[theKed]

10. That's great news

The more states give these SCOTUS judgements the thumbs down, the more likely it will be to get it overturned.

[Stinky The Clown]

2. DU REC!!!!!!

Whoa!!!!!!

[marybourg]

3. Montana can't overrule the

Supreme Court. Nice try, though.

[theKed]

4. Correct

But it can take this screaming back into the Supreme Court for another spin.

[marybourg]

13. Only if the SC wishes to re-do it.

[RedCloud]

5. Cenk spotted it.

[jody]

6. Another example "Jefferson & Madison’s 1798 efforts to nullify unconstitutional laws still alive!"

See DU thread at http://www.democraticunderground.com/10021751785

[Honeycombe8]

7. The hell you say! Way to go, Montana. Some pretty independent and ballsy people up there! nt

[ananda]

8. Here's what really irks me about this!

Both those fucking states went red against Gore!

[ibegurpard]

9. We also re-elected Jon Tester

and a Democratic Governor to replace a term-limited Democratic Governor.
Most of our statewide offices are going to continue to be held by Democrats.
This is not a red state.
It's a very independent (little L) libertarian state.

[flygal]

11. I voted for that!!

[mick063]

12. Constitutional Ammendments

How do they happen?

Isn't this part of the process?

Isn't montana simply the first state?