New York City Council Rules Against Citizens United

The New York City Council today voted against corporate personhood and the Citizens United decision set down by the Supreme Court in January of 2010. Expressing concern that granting corporations the same rights as individuals, the ruling will create an imbalance in the election of lawmakers and city officials by allowing unfettered and unchecked contributions into campaigns threatening our very democracy. There is a growing movement across the country to pass a Constitutional amendment to disavow the notion that corporations are people and thus not granted the same rights as individuals. Seven other city councils across the country have passed similar measures, Los Angeles being the most notable prior to today, and four amendments were introduced in Congress in 2011 for just such a thing. For an amendment to be ratified, both houses of Congress must pass the law with two-thirds vote.