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ellisonz

(27,711 posts)
Mon May 21, 2012, 03:14 PM May 2012

Democracy for America: The Grassroots Activate 22 Attorneys General to Overturn Citizens United

Released: May 21, 2012 1:13 PM

Burlington, VT – Today, Democracy for America (DFA), unveiled all 22 Attorneys General who support Montana Attorney General Steve Bullock’s brief urging the Supreme Court to reconsider the 2010 Citizens United decision. Support of the brief was thought to be minimal, but with the help of DFA’s grassroots activists these 22 Attorneys General felt pressure – and stood up for democracy by signaling their support. The brief currently has bipartisan support. DFA concluded its grassroots efforts on Friday with petition deliveries in three states where the Attorneys General remain undecided – Florida, Oregon and Oklahoma.

"I’m incredibly proud of our work defending the democratic process in this country. Attorney General Steve Bullock’s brief lays out a very sound argument on why the Supreme Court made the wrong decision on Citizens United,” said Jim Dean, Chair of DFA. “This campaign was not about political wins and losses, left or right, or Democrats and Republicans. The campaign was waged to defend the democratic process from big money and corporate influence. Thanks go out to our 200,000 plus members who got involved in this campaign.”

For nearly a century, the state of Montana has restricted corporate spending in elections – a direct conflict with the Citizens United ruling. Late last year, the state’s Supreme Court upheld Montana’s law. Bullock defended Montana’s 100 year-old law in court.

Montana Attorney General Bullock weighed in on the importance of campaign finance reform:

“Allowing corporations to spend unlimited amounts of shareholder money from the corporate treasury – rather than from the individual bank accounts of that corporation’s officers and key employees – is bad for our democracy, bad for the integrity of our elections and contrary to common-sense,” said Steve Bullock, Montana Attorney General.

Earlier this year, the U.S. Supreme Court stayed enforcement of Montana’s law while it the case is appealed before the High Court. Democracy for America has taken steps to chip away Citizens United, first by collecting over 200,000 signatures supporting Sen. Bernie Sanders’ Constitutional Amendment and now turning their efforts to the court. During the campaign, DFA collected 105,640 member signatures and made over 1,200 member phone calls urging their Attorneys General to support Attorney General Bullock’s fight.


A full list of supportive Attorneys General and the brief can be found here: http://scr.bi/KDs56p

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DFA Press Release
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