Hawaii just found a way around Citizens United. Other states are following

https://www.ms.now/ali-velshi/watch/hawaii-just-found-a-way-around-citizens-united-other-states-are-following-2501173315542

by xyst • 2 months ago

56 25 2 months ago

ms.now

xyst• 2 months ago

Citizens United might be cooked, finally.

wanoir• 2 months ago

Fascinating! But does this only apply if the company is incorporated in that particular state? If there is any state that doesn’t adopt the new law structure, then companies will just re-incorporate to that other state.

Of course, not every company may find it worthwhile to do that. So on the whole, it will probably mean companies that aren’t that involved in political spending will become even less involved. But, the largest spenders may find it worthwhile to re-incorporate so they can continue to do it.

mindslight4• 2 months ago

Corporations/LLCs generally have to explicitly register with every state they do business in. Presumably at this juncture they can be subject to the same restrictions. No idea how this concretely plays out with this law though.

sgc• 2 months ago

Hawaii can only make laws for Hawaii. So I don't even think it could stop a Hawaiian corporation from spending political dollars in another state. But it can probably stop corporations from spending money in Hawaii even if they are not incorporated there. This law will make its way to the supreme Court relatively quickly I expect.

verdverm• 2 months ago

More info

https://afj.org/article/corporate-power-reset-movement-updat...

https://www.americanprogress.org/article/addressing-question...

polski-g2• 2 months ago

Unconstitutional on 14th amendment grounds and first amendment grounds.

They are privileging speech rights from some groups over other groups (unions v corps).

mgh95• 2 months ago

Not necessarily. Unions are typically organized as a not-for-profit. The legislation acts on all entities including unions.

mindslight4• 2 months ago

Repeat after me: Corporations and LLCs are not individuals. Corporations and LLCs are government creations. Corporations and LLCs do not have natural rights.

gruez• 2 months ago

Repeat after me: Corporations and LLCs are not individuals. Corporations and LLCs are government creations.

They are however, groups of individuals.

polski-g2• 2 months ago

Corporations, just like a group of concerned mothers pooling money for a billboard, are a grouping of people. And shareholders have rights to spend their own pooled money on speech, just like the mothers have that same right.

tenuousemphasis• 2 months ago

Where in the constitution does it say that corporate entities have any rights at all?

halJordan2• 2 months ago

Corporations inherit their rights and privileges from the people in them. Because a corp is in fact just a series of individuals in a trenchcoat. (This would make immediate sense if we had not let grammar decay and you implicitly knew corp = plural)

bdangubic• 2 months ago

people are corporations. I hardly exist as an individual in america. I do not own anything, my company does (my company employs only me and soon my daughter when she is of age), I do not buy anything, my company does. I don’t have phone service or internet service or practically anything under my name. and my company (me) has about the same rights as you, an individual, except of course a lot more cause capitalism be capilizing :)

halJordan2• 2 months ago

You can (and others surely will) make that argument. But it doesn't apply because an LLC isnt a protected group. Gov'ts are fully allowed to discriminate outside of the relatively constrained race, religion, gender stuff. If the individuals in an LLC want to politic, then they are using the wrong venue. The state has created other venues and can force citizens to use them (you surely approve of this power when it forces your doctor to be board certified).

LocalH• 2 months ago

Corporations, as an entity, deserve no Constitutional rights. Only the individuals that make them up, and as individuals, not as a group.

tanseydavid• 2 months ago

"Corporations are people" should be the example quote under the definition of "Gaslighting".

BizarroLand• 2 months ago

If corporations are people, and they kill someone, why do they only have to pay a fine and/or possibly elect certain employees to go to prison?

I can't poison a billion+ people like monsanto did and then pay a portion of the profits as restitution. If I poison 1 person I go to jail for life.

upboundspiral• 2 months ago

Stories like this one, though rare, often remind me that there is hope, and that society is not static. That even though there is corruption, and setbacks, by continuously pursuing a goal we can slowly claw our way towards a better tomorrow.

bzmrgonz• 2 months ago

We have to do something tho. Today I was thinking out loud how it would be awesome if we could build a middle ground party around mamdani and company, along with like minded individuals. Sure he couldn't run for President, but what if the Party was different in it's constitutional structure. What I'd party power was divided into two heads, chairman(who vehemently defends the brand), and the political leader (charismatic figure dujur). This setup would mimic nature, close to perfect ecosystems in nature make use of antagonistic forces to maintain balances and preserve environment. This thir party would exist smack in the middle of the spectrum. Let the Oligarchs have the republican party, and let the corporatist/wall-street/speculators have the Democratic party. The Pleb/people can build a new modern real and functional party in 2026. Why Mamdani?? He just achieved what seems like an impossible fiscal feat, in your face Bezos and his bold claim that taxing the Rich won't make a difference. Honestly guys, the Mandani movement has gained cosmic gravity power with that move, I'm talking probably surpassing Bill Clinton's mobilization and even the legendary "yes we can" of Obama fame. Even if he cannot run for President. We'll make him Governor of the new Moderate Centric Progressive People's Party. First constitutional commandment: Though shalt not take candy from Corporations.

metalman• 2 months ago

high school, something, magna carta seperation of church and state, something, something

NOW, we need a seperation of business from state, where state regulation is explisetely antagonistic to mega business/bank acumulation of assets/capital. It has to happen, and soon, or China, which maintains an actual functional central government, will thrive, while we decend further into a new dark age.

burnt-resistor• 2 months ago

Separation between wealth and church and journalism and state.

Hawaii just found a way around Citizens United. Other states are following

Related Stories