Nine years after Citizens United, calls to overturn 'horrendous' decision and pass pro-democracy H.R. 1

With Monday marking the ninth anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court's Citizens United ruling, campaign finance watchdogs say it's more urgent than ever to address "the degradation of our democracy" and overturn the 2010 decision which opened the floodgates to unlimited spending by corporate interests and the super wealthy.

That decision by the high court further corrupted the democratic process by opening the floodgates to unlimited corporate political spending.

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With President Donald Trump pushing the Supreme Court rightward, Public Citizen says the best hope lies in a successful push for an amendment to overturn Citizens United. The group sees hope in a new piece of far-reaching legislation—House Resolution 1 (HR1)—and the fact that is has 223 cosponsors.

That legislation, as outlined in a statement from Rep. John Sarbanes (D-Md.), who introduced the measure this month, "shines a light on dark money in politics" and "levels the political playing field for everyday Americans, creating a multiple matching system for small donations and allowing the American people to exercise their due influence in a post-Citizens United world, while reaffirming that Congress should have the authority to regulate money in politics."

Common Cause has also applauded HR1, calling the bill the "most sweeping pro-democracy legislation in 50 years."

And the Campaign Legal Center similarly called HR1 "a sorely needed solution to this and other problems in our democracy."

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