CREW Statement on Reversal of Montana Supreme Court Decision
Washington, D.C. – In response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s reversal of the Montana Supreme Court decision upholding the state’s prohibition on corporate political expenditures, CREW Executive Director Melanie Sloan issued the following statement:
This Supreme Court’s decision today is a tremendous blow to the hope that individual states could rein in the corrupting influence of money and politics in our elections. The Montana Supreme Court case reversed today – a direct challenge to the disastrous Citizens United decision – was cheered by CREW and other campaign finance reform advocates fighting to clean up our elections. Montana had it right and the U.S. Supreme Court got it wrong.
Today’s decision is overtly political and will contribute to the declining public perception of the Supreme Court. Those justices appointed by Republican presidents appear intent on ruling every chance they get in a way that will assist Republican candidates.
To the detriment of voters, Citizens United will stand and unlimited secret spending will continue to influence our elections. The Court’s decision sanctions the current status quo whereby voters in the 2012 elections – perhaps one of the most critical elections in a generation – will be severely hindered in their ability to make informed decisions on Election Day.
Unless the current makeup of the Supreme Court changes anytime soon, the only recourse citizens have short of a constitutional amendment is to continue to push Congress to enact tougher campaign spending disclosure laws. As CREW has noted before, even that seems unlikely anytime soon given the current crop in Congress.
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) is a non-profit legal watchdog group dedicated to holding public officials accountable for their actions. For more information, please visit www.citizensforethics.org or contact David Merchant at 202.408.5565 or dmerchant@citizensforethics.org
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