Home -> Law Blog Directory -> Academic Blogs -> The Faculty Lounge

Academic

: The Faculty Lounge

Obama's Supreme Court Attack

By Dan Filler, Laura Appleman et al.

<p>  In last night's State of the Union message, President Obama attacked the Supreme Court for its <em>Citizens United</em> decision.   With the justices sitting in the well of the chamber, directly before him, he tactlessly chastised them for their decision.  Of course, the Supreme Court is not immune from criticism, but given the time and place the President's antic came across as puerile anger.  Moreover, if he must criticize the Court in person he at least ought to get his facts straight.  Obama declared that <em>Citizens United</em> opens the door to foreign corporate spending to influence American politics.  It does no such thing.  The Court's opinion expressly declares that "[w]e need not reach the question of whether the Government has a compelling interest in preventing foreign individuals or associations from influencing our Nation's political process."  As <a href="http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=ZTVkODZiM2M0ODEzOGQ3MTMwYzgzYjNmODBiMzQzZjk=">Bradley Smith has noted</a>, the Court <span id="fck_dom_range_temp_1264692343421_858"></span><span id="fck_dom_range_temp_1264692343421_948"></span>struck down 2<span id="fck_dom_range_temp_1264692353218_676"></span><span id="fck_dom_range_temp_1264692353218_466"></span> USC 441a but left 2 USC 4<span id="fck_dom_range_temp_1264692376796_412"></span><span id="fck_dom_range_temp_1264692376796_6"></span>41e undisturbed.  Section<span id="fck_dom_range_temp_1264692438375_902"></span><span id="fck_dom_range_temp_1264692438375_611"></span> 441e forbids con<span id="fck_dom_range_temp_1264692398656_461"></span><span id="fck_dom_range_temp_1264692398656_399"></span>tributions and expenditure<span id="fck_dom_range_temp_1264692403437_470"></span><span id="fck_dom_range_temp_1264692403437_281"></span>s by foreign nationals, specifically<span id="fck_dom_range_temp_1264692454531_945"></span><span id="fck_dom_range_temp_1264692454531_283"></span> including foreign corpora<span id="fck_dom_range_temp_1264692458390_324"></span><span id="fck_dom_range_temp_1264692458390_496"></span>tions.   Either the P<span id="fck_dom_range_temp_1264692545421_9"></span><span id="fck_dom_range_temp_1264692545421_475"></span>resident or his staffers o<span id="fck_dom_range_temp_1264692550375_279"></span><span id="fck_dom_range_temp_1264692550375_322"></span>ught to read the <em>Citizens United</em> opinion before the President attacks<span id="fck_dom_range_temp_1264692588234_275"></span><span id="fck_dom_range_temp_1264692588234_338"></span> it.  Perhaps they did r<span id="fck_dom_range_temp_1264692603671_825"></span><span id="fck_dom_range_temp_1264692603687_472"></span>ead it.  If so t<span id="fck_dom_range_temp_1264692622312_242"></span><span id="fck_dom_range_temp_1264692622312_537"></span>hat does not reflect well <span id="fck_dom_range_temp_1264692629468_956"></span><span id="fck_dom_range_temp_1264692629468_138"></span>on either their intelligen<span id="fck_dom_range_temp_1264692634750_300"></span><span id="fck_dom_range_temp_1264692634750_634"></span>ce or their scruples.  </p>

Full post as published by The Faculty Lounge on February 05, 2010 (boomark / email).