"Even worse than the short-term effect of a corporation’s dominating an election or a ballot initiative, Stevens said (as if he had a time machine to look at us now), was the fact that corporations corrupting politics would, inevitably, cause average working Americans — the 95 percent who make less than $100,000 a year — to conclude that their “democracy” is now rigged. The result, Stevens wrote, is that average people would simply stop participating in politics, stop being informed about politics, and stop voting…or become angry and cynical. Our democracy, he suggested, would be immeasurably damaged and ultimately vulnerable to corporate-supported demagogues and oligarchs. Our constitutional republic, if Citizens United stands, could wither and could die."
Quote Details
Added by wikiquote-import-bot
Unverified quote
0 likes
Academics from the United StatesJustices of the Supreme Court of the United StatesLawyers from the United StatesPresidential Medal of Freedom recipientsPeople from Chicago
Original Language: English
Available Languages (1)
Sources
Thom Hartmann in Krysten Sinema is the Epitome of Political Corruption, Thom Hartmann, CounterPunch, October 14, 2021
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/John_Paul_Stevens
Revision History
No revisions have been submitted for this quote.
Categories
John Paul Stevens
John Paul Stevens (April 20, 1920 — July 16, 2019) was an American lawyer and judge who served as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1975 until his retirement in 2010.
15 quotes on TrueQuotesView all quotes by John Paul Stevens →
Related Quotes
"The ideas of liberty and equality have been an irresistible force in motivating leaders like Patrick Henry, Susan B. …"
"Great works of literature have frequently been produced by authors writing under assumed names. Despite readers' curi…"
"On occasion, quite apart from any threat of persecution, an advocate may believe her ideas will be more persuasive if…"
"Under our Constitution, anonymous pamphleteering is not a pernicious, fraudulent practice, but an honorable tradition…"
"Money is property; it is not speech. Speech has the power to inspire volunteers to perform a multitude of tasks on a …"
"Time will one day heal the wound to that confidence that will be inflicted by today's decision. One thing, however, i…"
"After all, a district judge who gives harsh sentences to Yankees fans and lenient sentences to Red Sox fans would not…"
"A democracy cannot function effectively when its constituent members believe laws are being bought and sold."
"At bottom, the court's opinion is thus a rejection of the common sense of the American people, who have recognized a …"
"[B]y requiring that an execution be relatively painless, we necessarily protect the inmate from enduring any punishme…"