Sen. Kerry backs changing Constitution to deal with Supreme Court decision
  • Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) on Tuesday said he’d support the uphill battle to amend the Constitution to gut the impact of a Supreme Court decision lifting restrictions on corporate campaign spending.

    “I think we need a constitutional amendment to make it clear, once and for all, that corporations do not have the same free-speech rights as individuals,” Kerry said during a Senate Rules Committee hearing.

    The constitutional change would require the support of two-thirds of the House and Senate and three-fourths of the states to ratify it, a serious challenge, particularly since many Republicans support the Supreme Court’s 5-4 decision in the Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission ruling.

    Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Pa.) is the only other senator so far to back the idea of a constitutional amendment.

    In the House, Rep. Donna Edwards (D-Md.) and Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers Jr. (D-Mich.) introduced language Tuesday amending the Constitution to allow Congress to regulate corporate spending in politics.