Citizens United

Citizens United shifted the landscape of campaign finance reform and reinvigorated a conversation about the fabricated doctrine of corporate constitutional rights. When the Supreme Court determined that corporations are entitled to the same free speech rights as people, it reversed decades of precedent recognizing the need to regulate corporate spending in our elections.  In McCutcheon, the Supreme Court struck down aggregate contribution limits, allowing even more money from wealthy individuals to infiltrate our elections. 

As an active member of the House Democratic Caucus’s Task Force on Election Reform, Congressman McGovern has been at the forefront of efforts to overturn these Supreme Court decisions. 

In short, Jim believes that power ought to reside in the voters of American, not the shareholders of Wall Street. He has introduced two constitutional amendments to restore democracy and accountability to our political process:

House Joint Resolution 20 promotes the fundamental principles of political equality for all citizens by giving Congress and State Legislatures the power to regulate political spending in their respective states.

House Joint Resolution 21,  the “People’s Rights Amendment” overturns Citizens United and makes clear that the rights protected by the Constitution are the rights of natural persons.  The amendment clarifies that corporations, whether they be for-profit or non-profit entities, are not people with constitutional rights.