In response to today’s Supreme Court ruling in Citizens United v. FEC, People For the American Way president Michael B. Keegan released the following statement:

“Today’s ruling is yet another example of selective enforcement of constitutional rights by the Roberts Court. Chief Justice John Roberts and other conservatives on the Court claim to be committed to judicial restraint and respect for precedent. But they demonstrated that they will gladly set those principles aside when it suits their ideology.

“It is a long-established principle that the government can act in the interest of democracy to prevent corporations from pouring in billions of dollars to unduly influence elections. Congress and state legislatures across the nation have enacted legislation based on this principle for decades and with bipartisan backing. But today the Roberts Court decided that it knew better. Given conservative rhetoric about deference to the democratically elected branches, today’s ruling is stunning.

“The Roberts Court seems to be most concerned about constitutional rights when they pertain to business, government, or other powerful interests. Today, not for the first time, the Court privileged corporations over individual Americans. This decision is proof positive that the Supreme Court has lurched dangerously to the right.”

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