Litigation

New State Legislation Responds to ?Citizens United?

By Peter Hardin

The Supreme Court’s landmark Citizens United decision continues to draw a concerned response from state legislators around the country.

In the New York state legislature, a measure was introduced to require shareholder approval before corporations can spend cash for political campaigns or issue advocacy, the Wall Street Journal reported.

A similar bill was introduced recently in Massachusetts. It was backed by supporters of campaign finance reform such as Common Cause.

Such bills often draw opposition in the business community. “It’s unconstitutional on its face,” Heather Briccetti, vice president for the Business Council of New York State, said about the legislation. “It would pretty much bar any larger publicly traded entity from participating in the political process in this cycle.”

Citizens United lifted key restraints on corporate and labor union political spending. It recently was labeled the defining case of the court’s 2009-2010 term by a leading national newspaper (check out details in Gavel Grab).

Full post as published by The Gavel on July 05, 2010 (boomark / email).