On the recordFebruary 16, 2011
On a day that we're talking about the continuing resolution, I want to talk about a body that may someday be judging the continuing resolution--the Supreme Court. There is perhaps nothing more important to the preservation of our democracy than the continued guaranteed impartiality of our Supreme Court. It's a uniquely American institution; it's been given enormous power to invalidate American laws; and it needs to be dispensed with complete blind justice, blind to outside influence. However, this Nation's confidence in the blind justice of the Supreme Court has been badly shaken recently by a series of revelations regarding possible conflicts of interest by Justice Scalia and Justice Thomas in the Citizens United case. This landmark 5-4 decision overturned restrictions on corporate funding in elections that had been in place since 1947, and immediately thereafter, millions and millions of dollars in shadowy special interest group donations flowed into American campaigns. Two of the main benefactors of these groups were Charles and David Koch, billionaire brothers who operate a Kansas-based energy business. They spent about $2.6 billion that we know about in the 2010 election cycle and likely a lot more in anonymous donations.
