2012 Rhode Island Senate Debate: on Government Reform


Sheldon Whitehouse: Overturn Citizens United; it undid 100 years of regulations

The moderator asked which Supreme Court ruling they would like to overturn. Hinckley said he was unhappy with the decision by Chief Justice John Roberts to not overturn the healthcare mandate included in President Obama's healthcare plan.

Whitehouse said he would like to overturn the Citizens United decision, which held that the First Amendment prohibited the government from restricting independent political expenditures by corporations and unions. "That ruling overturned 100 years of regulation in the elections world and unleashed billionaires and foreign corporations to have influence on our elections," Whitehouse said. "It's a prescription for scandal and disaster.

When asked who their favorite justices were, Hinckley said Clarence Thomas, Whitehouse said Justice Sonia Sotomayor.

Source: WPRI Eyewitness News on 2012 R.I. Senate debate Oct 23, 2012

  • The above quotations are from 2012 R.I. Senate Debate.
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Page last updated: Dec 04, 2018