Do Me a Solid

Back on March 28th, I wrote about the Montana Corrupt Practices Act amicus brief. As a reminder, one consequence of the horrid Citizens United Supreme Court ruling is that it invalidated state laws that limit or ban corporate financing of elections. The Montana law, passed in 1912 to deal with a ridiculous amount of influence by the Copper Kings, was challenged in state court by a new batch of corporate cronies. Surprisingly, the Montana Supreme Court gave the middle finger to the Supreme Court of the United States and upheld the law. That led the SCOTUS to issue a stay. Soon they will hear the case.

Now, the amicus brief is something that is submitted to the SCOTUS by third parties who have an interest in the outcome of a case and who may have some unique insights to offer the Court. For example, the nation’s attorneys general have experience enforcing campaign finance laws and they know how money can corrupt. So far, we’ve been able to enlist the solid commitment of twenty-two state Attorneys General (plus the AG of the District of Columbia) to sign onto an amicus brief that argues that Citizens United was wrongly decided. We’re aiming higher. Today, Democracy for America is delivering petitions to 11 Attorneys General, eight of whom we want to thank and three who we think should support the brief (in Florida, Oklahoma, and Oregon).

So, here’s what I am asking you to do. Find your Attorney General on the list below. If they haven’t already said ‘yes,’ dial that phone number and tell whomever answers the phone that you support Montana Attorney General Steve Bullock’s effort to protect his state’s Corrupt Practices Act and that you expect your Attorney General to join with him by supporting the amicus brief. Citizens United was wrongly decided.

Then go here and tell us how your call went.

[I’m a consultant for Democracy for America]