Senators Pick Their Spot To Unveil Citizens United Bill
The press scrum outside the Supreme Court this morning
Usually, members of Congress do their Supreme Court bashing from the safety of the Senate or House floor. Today, they entered enemy territory by having a press conference out in front of the court itself. The not-so-subtle symbolism marked the unveiling of legislation aimed at curbing the impact of the FEC v. Citizens United campaign finance ruling. The Democratic senators, led by Charles E. Schumer of New York and Russ Feingold of Wisconsin, said their aim wasn’t to demonize the court’s conservative majority but they couldn’t resist a few digs. Feingold claimed the court didn’t “have the nerve” to strike down the McCain-Feingold campaign finance bill in its entirety. Schumer warned that the five justices in the Citizens United majority have to be he held accountable, although he admitted there wasn’t really a way to do that. Making the most of the beautiful weather in Washington, Schumer noted in reference to the court behind him that “the beauty of this building can’t even be debased by the ugliness of the ruling in Citizens United.”
Lawrence Hurley 