What They’re Saying About The Citizens United v. FEC Supreme Court Decision

[Bob J Criswell]

Contrary to what Mr. President said about the Supreme Court Decision, the following people had this to say about free speech!Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Senate Republican Leader:“For too long, some in this country have been deprived of full participation in the political process. With today’s monumental decision, the Supreme Court took an important step in the direction of restoring the First Amendment rights of these groups by ruling that the Constitution protects their right to express themselves about political candidates and issues up until Election Day.”Congressman John Boehner (R-OH), House Republican Leader:“I think the Supreme Court decisions today are a big win for the First Amendment and a step in the right direction.”Senator John Cornyn (R-TX), National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman:“I am pleased that the Supreme Court has acted to protect the Constitution’s First Amendment rights of free speech and association. These are the bedrock principles that underpin our system of governance and strengthen our democracy. This is an encouraging step, and it is my hope that political parties will one day soon be able to speak as freely as other citizen organizations are now permitted.”Floyd Abrams:“It was a sweeping decision that made it very clear that the First Amendment protects corporate speech about politics and government…It is not for Congress to decide who can say what. It is a holding that corporate expenditures are protected by the First Amendment just as independent expenditures are protected by the First Amendment.”Ted Olson:“The decisions that the Court today overruled rested on the faulty premise that political speech can be restricted in order to prevent corporate money from ‘distorting’ political discourse. In fact, the vast majority of corporations are either nonprofit advocacy groups - like Citizens United - or small businesses. Far from ‘distorting’ the political process, the speech of these corporations reflects the views of their members or the entrepreneurial individuals who formed the corporation. Permitting these individuals to have a voice in the political process adds an important perspective to the public debate and enables individuals of limited means to band together to counterbalance the political speech of the super-rich. McCain-Feingold silenced those speakers, and, as the Court concluded, was therefore impossible to reconcile with the First Amendment.”Marco Rubio, Candidate For U.S. Senate From Florida:“Our political system is at its best when candidates, campaigns and voters focus on ideas, issues and principles. Unfortunately, our citizens’ right to free speech and to participate in the political process has been undermined for years by McCain-Feingold and similar laws. The best way to ensure our political system is less reliant on money is not to pass laws which infringe on fundamental rights, but rather to elect leaders who value policy and principles over politics and special interests. Today’s Supreme Court ruling is a victory for those who truly value the freedoms outlined in our First Amendment.”Michael Steele, Republican National Committee Chairman:“Today’s decision by the Supreme Court in Citizens United v. FEC, serves as an affirmation of the constitutional rights provided to Americans under the first amendment. Free speech strengthens our democracy. While the Court’s recognition that organizations have the freedom to speak on public issues and have their views protected from censorship is fundamental, the Court has now left an imbalance that disadvantages national parties in their ability to support their candidates. We need to encourage a vibrant debate on the issues, and not restrict the free exchange of ideas. Though there is still more work to be done, we are pleased with today’s ruling.”Gregory Casey, President, Business and Industry Political Action Committee:“The Supreme Court’s ruling frees American business from the yoke of second class citizenship. It returns the right of American business to talk about workplace issues and hold candidates accountable....”Stephen DeMaura, President of Americans for Job Security:“For those who believe in free speech and the rights of organizations such as ours to promote our point of view, today was an unequivocal victory....The ruling by the Supreme Court today restores fully the rights of organizations like Americans for Job Security to fulfill our charter cause of discussing and debating the important issues of the day within the marketplace of ideas.”Robin Conrad, U.S. Chamber of Commerce:“Today’s ruling protects the First Amendment rights of organizations across the political spectrum, and is a positive for the political process and free enterprise.”Paul Sherman, Institute For Justice:“The ruling represents a tremendous victory for free speech and a serious blow to proponents of campaign-finance ‘reform,’ who have roundly denounced the ruling and have all but predicted the downfall of the Republic as a result. But the reformers’ rhetoric is just that; the Court’s ruling will simply result in a more diverse mix of political speech, and that is a good thing for American democracy.”