Are Corporations People? The Impact and Future of "Citizens United"
Few recent Supreme Court rulings have been as controversial as the landmark 2010 Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission decision. In a 5-4 split, the Court ruled that the First Amendment prohibits government from placing limits on independent spending for political purposes by corporations and unions.
On January 20, Janice Thompson, executive director of Common Cause, Oregon, and Steven Wilker, attorney at Tonkon Torp, will explain the Citizens United decision and discuss its current and potential impact. They will highlight the Court’s reasoning in coming to this ruling, and will describe its influence on political campaign spending and state and national elections. The speakers will also address the firestorm of public response this opinion generated and will theorize on how this ruling may play out in the future.
Janice Thompson is executive director of Common Cause Oregon, which she joined in 2009 after leading the Money in Politics Research Action Project and Democracy Reform Oregon. Steven Wilker is an attorney at Tonkon Torp, LLP, and also serves on the Executive Committee of the Board of the ACLU – Oregon.
