Last week I wrote about Montana Attorney General Steve Bullock’s
intention to file an amicus brief with the Supreme Court arguing in favor of the Montana Supreme Court’s decision to uphold their state’s Corrupt Practices Act of 1912 even in the face of the Citizens United ruling. I also told you that I’d be announcing details shortly about a campaign to get all Democratic Attorneys General to sign onto the amicus brief. Yesterday, Democracy for America made the announcement in the following press release:
Burlington, VT – Today Democracy for America (DFA) launched a new campaign designed to dismantle the Citizens United decision decided by the Supreme Court in 2010. The campaign takes on Citizens United internally through the court system and highlights Montana Attorney General Steve Bullock’s case before the U.S. Supreme Court. The case directly challenges the two-year old ruling. The campaign calls on Attorneys General from across the United States to sign onto an Amicus Brief documenting the need to overturn the 2010 Supreme Court decision.
“Citizens United corrupts our democratic process,” said Jim Dean, Chair of DFA. “This campaign, courageously headed by Montana’s Attorney General Steve Bullock, demands that the Supreme Court address their decision that allowed undisclosed amounts of money to flow into our electoral process. Corporations are not people and ordinary citizens should not be drowned out of democracy.”
Montana Attorney General Steve Bullock weighed in on the campaign:
Attorney General Steve Bullock: “The Citizens United decision opened the door to unlimited corporate spending in our national elections, and state and local elections could be the next to fall. For the past two years, Americans have watched spending by anonymous, secretive Super PACs far outpace what candidates spend on elections. It’s a fantasy to suggest these expenditures aren’t corrupting our political system. I applaud Democracy for America’s efforts to make sure the voices of people still matter.”
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.
Earlier this year, the U.S. Supreme Court stayed enforcement of Montana’s law while the case is appealed before the High Court. Democracy for America has taken steps to chip away Citizens United, first by collecting over 100,000 signatures supporting Sen. Bernie Sanders’ Constitutional Amendment and now turning their efforts to the court. In just two weeks, DFA has collected 74,325 signatures from across the country urging their members Attorneys General to sign the Amicus Brief supporting Attorney General Bullock’s fight.
Link to this statement on democracyforamerica.com: HYPERLINK: http://bit.ly/HbUZfw
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ABOUT DEMOCRACY FOR AMERICA: Democracy for America is a people-powered Democratic Political Action Committee. With over one million members nationwide, DFA is a grassroots powerhouse working to change our country and the Democratic Party from the bottom-up.
Now, the best way to help out in this effort is to sign the petition calling for your Attorney General to join Steve Bullock in opposing Citizens United and standing for common sense campaign finance reform. By signing the petition you are assured that your message will be delivered to your Attorney General, even if they are a Republican.
Here’s an interesting side note: Western Tradition Partnership, which is the right-wing organization that sued Montana and created this mess, actually has three pending challenges. There’s the corporate spending ban pending before the SCOTUS (the subject of this petition drive), but there is also a challenge to Montana’s disclosure laws that is in state court. They are arguing that it is unconstitutional to demand that people disclose their name and employer when they donate political money. The third case is in federal court and it challenges Montana’s modest campaign finance limits.
This is an all-out war, folks. And all I’m asking you to do is sign a little petition.
Well, that’s not true. I’m asking you get involved and stay involved. They are organizing against us; we have to organize against them.
Below the fold are lists of the 50 Attorneys General, divided by party. But, really, please just sign the petition.
Thanks.
Democrats
Dustin McDaniel Arkansas
Kamala Harris California
George Jepsen Connecticut
Joseph R. “Beau” Biden, III Delaware
David Louie Hawaii
Lisa Madigan Illinois
Tom Miller Iowa
Jack Conway Kentucky
Doug Gansler Maryland
Martha Coakley Massachusetts
Lori Swanson Minnesota
Jim Hood Mississippi
Chris Koster Missouri
Steve Bullock Montana
Catherine Cortez Masto Nevada
Michael Delaney New Hampshire
Gary King New Mexico
Eric Schneiderman New York
Roy Cooper North Carolina
John Kroger Oregon
Peter Kilmartin Rhode Island
Robert E. Cooper, Jr. Tennessee
William H. Sorrell Vermont
Darrell V. McGraw, Jr. West Virignia
Greg Phillips Wyoming
Republicans
Alabama Luther Strange
Alaska Michael Geraghty
Arizona Tom Horne
Colorado John Suthers
Florida Pam Bondi
Georgia Sam Olens
Idaho Lawrence Wasden
Indiana Greg Zoeller
Kansas Derek Schmidt
Louisiana James D. “Buddy” Caldwell
Maine William J. Schneider
Michigan Bill Schuette
Nebraska Jon Bruning
New Jersey Jeffrey S. Chiesa
North Dakota Wayne Stenehjem
Ohio Mike DeWine
Oklahoma Scott Pruitt
Pennsylvania – Linda L. Kelly
South Carolina Alan Wilson
South Dakota Marty J. Jackley
Texas Greg Abbott
Utah Mark Shurtleff
Virgina Ken Cuccinelli
Washington Rob McKenna
Wisconsin J.B. Van Hollen
[Disclaimer: I do consulting work for Democracy for America]