Buckley v. Valeo [1976] Pacific Gas & Electric v. Public Utilities Commission The Supreme Court rules that political money [1986] The Supreme Court decided that PG&E was not required to is equivalent to speech. This ruling expanded the The Railroad Tax Cases [1882] Timeline of Personhood Rights and Powers allow a consumer advocacy group to use the extra space in their billing Citizens United v. Federal Elections Comm. [2010] Marbury v. Madison [1803] 1st Amendment’s protections to include financial In one of these cases, San Mateo County v. Southern Pacific Railroad, it was argued Nobel v. Union River Logging [1893] envelope, upholding the corporation’s right not to speak and protecting Supreme Court overturned most provisions of McCain-Feingold This case established the concept of judicial review. Hale v. Henkel [1906] contributions to candidates or parties. that corporations were persons and that the committee drafting the 14th Amendment For the first time corporations have claim to the Bill of Rights. Since 1886, every time natural people won new rights the corporation’s freedom of mind. legislation that restricted corporate money in federal elections The Supreme Court ruled that they were supreme, Corporations get 4th Amendment Paul v. Virginia [1868] had intended the word person to mean corporations as well as natural persons. The 5th Amendment says: “...nor be deprived of life, liberty, – like the Civil Rights Act – corporations became eligible for them as well. and reversed a hundred-year precedent of Congressional and Congress did not contest it. This gave them the “search and seizure” protection. Corporate lawyers argued that under the Senator Roscoe Conklin waved an unknown document in the air and then read from or property, without due process of law.” Four places where corporations have authority to regulate federal elections. Most explicit justification U.S. Constitution [1789] power to make law. Judge made law Justice Harlan disagreed on this point: privileges and immunities clause, corporations it in an attempt to prove that the intent of the Joint Committee was for corporate personhood. Dodge v. Ford Motor Co. [1919] Louis K. Liggett Co. v. Lee [1933] been granted powers in the Constitution: First National Bank of Boston v. Bellotti [1977] of “corporate personhood” by the Court. The writers of the Constitution were very interested “...the power of the government, by its Contracts Clause, Interstate Commerce Clause, “The Constitution, on this hypothesis, are not citizens under Article 4, Section 2. The court did not rule on corporate personhood, but this was the case in which they heard the argument. The Michigan Supreme Court says, “A business The people of Florida passed a law that levied higher The 1st Amendment is used to overturn state restrictions on corporate in protecting their property.Without using the words is not democracy. representatives, to look into the books, Property Rights, and Personhood Rights which includes is a mere thing of wax in the hands of “The citizens of each State shall be entitled to corporation is organized and carried on primarily taxes on chain stores. The Supreme Court overturned See v. Seattle [1967] spending on political referenda. The Court reverses its longstanding Austin v. Michigan Chamber “slave” or “slavery” they made slavery legal and the judiciary, which they may twist and records and papers of a corporation of its for the profit of the stockholders. The powers of 14th Amendment, Bill of Rights, and Civil Rights Legislation. policy of denying such rights to non-media corporations. This precedent all privileges and immunities of citizens in the Santa Clara County v. Southern Pacific Railroad [1886] the law citing the due process and equal protection The Supreme Court grants corporations 4th Amendment of Commerce [1990] Nike v. Kasky [2003] Corporations and the 1st Amendment: institutionalized it. shape into any form they please.” own creation, to ascertain whether that the directors are to be employed for that end.” clause of the 14th Amendment and the Interstate protection from random inspection by fire departments. is used with Buckley v. Valeo to thwart attempts to remove several States.” “The Court does not wish to hear argument on the question of whether the 14th Amendment Supreme Court upholds limitations on corporate spending Money is equivalent to Speech. “No person held in Service or Labour in one State, -Then-president Thomas Jefferson corporation has obeyed or is defying the “Stockholder Primacy” is established. This is Commerce Clause. Wal-mart and other chains can not The Court framed the question in terms of “business enterprises,” corporate money from politics. The Supreme Court heard arguments on A corporation has the right to speak. to the Constitution, which forbids a State to deny to any person within its jurisdiction the in candidate elections. 1st Amendment rights can be under the laws thereof, escaping into another, commenting on Marbury v. Madison. law, will be greatly curtailed, if not destroyed.” still the leading case on corporate purpose. be banned by law from towns on this precedent. corporate or otherwise. An administrative warrant is necessary whether purposeful untruths in advertising A corporation has the right not to speak. equal protection of the laws, applies to corporations. We are all of the opinion that it does.” Taft-Hartley Act [1947] infringed if state has a compelling interest. are protected political speech before sending The right not to speak includes fact as shall, in Consequence of any regulation therein, to enter and inspect commercial premises. well as opinion. be discharged from such Service or Labour, but This statement by the Supreme Court before the hearing began gave corporations inclusion Corporations are granted “free speech” U.S. v. Martin Linen Supply [1976] the case back to a California court where it Restricting political money is the same shall be delivered up on Claim of the Party to whom Dartmouth College v. Woodward [1819] Slaughterhouse Cases [1873] in the word “person” in the 14th Amendment to the Constitution and claim to equal protection Pennsylvania Coal Co. v. Mahon [1922] in the union certification process, usurping A corporation successfully uses the 5th Amendment was settled in Kasky’s favor, finding that the as restricting political speech. The Supreme Court said: “...the main purpose of the Lochner v. New York [1905] Armour Packing v. U.S. [1908] to protect itself against double jeopardy to avoid International Dairy Foods Ass. Corporations argued for the right to lie but such Service or Labour may be due.” [Art.3, Sec.2] This decision turned a corporate charter from a government- under law. (The case was decided on other grounds.) worker’s right to “freedom of association” state laws requiring truth in advertising had so far do not have it. “Lochner” became shorthand for using the Corporations get 6th Amendment right to jury trial Corporations get 5th Amendment “takings clause”: Grosjean v. American Press Co. [1936] granted privilege into a contract that can not be altered by last three Amendments (13, 14, 15) was the freedom “...nor shall private property be taken for public use, without and greatly weakening the Labor Relations retrial in an anti-trust case. v. Amestoy [1996] been violated. The question of whether the Three words not found in the Constitution: Constitution to invalidate government regulation in a criminal case. A corporate defendant was considered A newspaper corporation has a 1st Amendment liberty right to government. The word “corporation” does not appear in of the African race, the security and perpetuation of Munn v. Illinois [1877] just compensation.” A regulation is deemed a takings. Act of 1935 Ross v. Bernhard [1970] Supreme Court overturns Vermont law requiring 1st Amendment gives a corporation the right Slavery, Democracy, Corporation. of the corporation. It embodies the doctrine of an “accused” for 6th Amendment purposes. freedom of speech that would be applied to the states through Marshall v. Barlow [1978] the Constitution, and this ruling gave the corporation that freedom and their protection from the oppression Supreme Court ruled that the 14th Minneapolis & St. Louis Corporations get 7th Amendment right to Virginia Board of Pharmacy v. the labeling of all products containing bovine growth to speak lies remains unsettled. of the white men who had formerly held them in slavery.” “substantive due process.” From 1905 until the The State of Pennsylvania passed a law saying it was the 14th Amendment. The Court ruled that the corporation was jury trial in a civil case. The Court implied This case gave corporations the 4th standing in the Constitution. It also made it difficult for Amendment cannot be used to Railroad v. Beckwith [1889] illegal to dig under houses causing them to collapse. hormone. The right not to speak inheres in political Corporations were not included in these protections. mid 1930s the Court invalidated approximately The Supreme Court overturned this law. Entire towns free to sell advertising in newspapers without being taxed. This Virginia Consumer Council [1976] Amendment right to require OSHA Above the line the Above that the corporation has this right because a and commercial speech alike and extends to the government to control corporations, so states began to protect corporations from state law. Supreme Court rules a corporation is a “person” were undermined for coal extraction and sank as a result. Revolutionary War Civil War Begins 200 economic regulations, usually under the U.S.enters World War I is the first 1st Amendment protection for corporations. U.S.enters World War II U.S.ground troops in shareholder in a derivative suit would have The Supreme Court protects commercial speech. to produce a warrant to check for Afghan War Iraq War write controls into the charters they granted. The Supreme They did not actually rule for both due process and equal protection. Corporations have used the takings clause ever since statements of fact as well as statements of opinion. due process clause of the 14th Amendment. to oppose and thwart environmental laws. Takings that right. Advertizing is now free speech. safety violations. Corporations gain or lose Rights and Powers Begins [1776] Court had “found” the corporation in the Constitution. [1861] on personhood. [1917] compensation is the basis for NAFTA and WTO. [1941] Vietnam War [1963] This prevents laws requiring GMO’s to be labeled. [2001] [2003]

1772 1776 1789 1791 1803 1819 1840 1857 1861 1865 1868 1870 1873 1874 1877 1882 1886 1889 1893 1896 1905 1906 1908 1913 1917 1919 1920 1922 1933 1935 1936 1938 1939 1941 1947 1949 1954 1963 1964 1967 1970 1971 1973 1976 1977 1978 1986 1990 1996 1999 2001 2003 2010 2011

Somersett’s Case Union Pacific Strike [1885] Plessy v. Ferguson [1896] 24th Amendment [1964] Roe v. Wade [1973] Bill of Rights [1791] States begin to loosen 13th Amendment [1865] 15th Amendment [1870] Insurrection of 1877 Louis K. Liggett Co. v. Lee [1933] Hague v. C.I.O. [1939] Wheeling Steel Corp. v. Glander [1949] Pacific Gas & Electric v. Patriot Act [2001] Wal-Mart v. Dukes [2011] The first 10 Amendments to the Slavery is abolished in the U.S. and any Black males get the right to vote. “The right The Supreme Court ruled that state laws 17th Amendment [1913] 19th Amendment [1920] Poll taxes, which were used to keep The Supreme Court rules that state [England 1772] Justice Brandeis dissents: “The prevalence of the The Court denies an incorporated labor Justice Douglas dissents. Regarding the ruling that corporations Passed by Congress following Supreme Court rules that employees can Constitution were adopted to protect Property requirements place subject to its jurisdiction. of citizens...to vote shall not be denied or enforcing segregation by race are constitutional The U.S. Senate is now elected by the people, Women finally get the vote after 75 years Blacks and others from voting in some statutes against abortion are vague and Public Utilities Commission An English judge rules slavery American Federation of Labor founded [1886] corporation in America has led men of this generation union 1st Amendment rights. Only the are giving rights as persons under the 14th Amendment, he said, Sept.11, the Act violates the civil only bring class action suits if there is proof We the People from excesses of for white males to obtain voting and This Amendment changed Article 4, abridged...on account of race, color, or if separate accommodations are equal. instead of appointed by state governments. of struggle. “The right of citizens of the states, were abolished. “The right... infringe on a woman’s 9th and 14th does not exist in England. to act, at times, as if the privilege of doing business in individual plaintiffs, not the labor union “There was no history, logic or reason given to support that view [1986] Dissent by Justices Rehnquist, a company has a policy of paying less to women government. At this time, We the citizenship rights. [1820-1850] previous condition of servitude.” Black males effectively lost 14th Amendment United States to vote shall not be denied to vote...shall not be denied...by reason Amendment rights (to privacy). Abortion liberties and privacy of individuals. A slave becomes free by stepping Section 2 of the Constitution. corporate form were inherent in the citizen; and has led nor was the result so obvious that exposition was unnecessary.” White, Stevens: “To ascribe to such entities an People meant only white males who Haymarket Massacre [1886] rights and much access to the “white world.” or abridged by the United States or any or the ACLU, could invoke 1st Amendment of failure to pay any poll tax or other tax. is legalized in the first trimester of pregnancy. Originally scheduled to expire, key or minorities. Statistics showing that a company’s Below the line on English soil. The colonists them to accept the evils attendant upon the free and “intellect” or”mind” for freedom of conscience owned property and were over 21 Plessy legalized “Jim Crow” laws. State on account of sex.” protections. “[A corporation] cannot be provisions were renewed in 2011. female workers earn far less and get fewer wonder if slavery will soon be Minor v. Happersett [1874] unrestricted use of the corporate mechanism as if these purposes, is to confuse metaphor with reality.” years old. The states decided how said to be deprived of freedom of speech promotions than men will not suffice. abolished in all English colonies. Women argued that under the 14th Amendment Great Southwest Strike [1886] evils were the inescapable price of civilized life, and much property must be owned to and of assembly, for the liberty guaranteed Brown v. Board of Educ. of Topeka [1954] Reed v. Reed [1971] Runaway slaves attempt to flee to 14th Amendment [1868] equal protection clause, the U.S. Constitution hence to be borne with resignation. Throughout the by the due process clause is the liberty of qualify to vote or run for office. Dred Scott v. Sanford [1857] established that their right to vote could not be Public schools cannot be racially segregated. Often said to have Women get the 14th Amendment. There were England to gain their freedom. Black males are now Citizens of the U.S.A. greater part of our history a different view prevailed.” natural, not artificial persons.” (New Jersey white women who met Supreme Court decides that slaves are property denied by the state. The Supreme Court rejected Pullman and Great Northern Strike [1894] overturned Plessy. The Supreme Court recognized that earlier cases where it was assumed that women “...nor shall any State deprive any person of First National Bank of Boston v. Bellotti [1977] Occupy Wall Street [2011] property and residency requirements and Congress cannot deprive citizens of their this stating that the 14th Amendment was only Slavery is the Legal Fiction separate was not equal. had equal protection. This was the case in which Battle for Seattle property. Slaves are “not citizens of any state” life , liberty, or property without due process Dissent by Justices White, Brennan, Marshall: “...the special status of could vote when the Constitution was intended to apply to black males. Social Change in 1886 that a Person is Property. the 14th was ruled to apply to women. corporations has placed them in a position to control vast amounts of WTO protest [1999] Shays’ Rebellion [1786] ratified, but the state revoked that and “have no rights a court must respect.” of law; nor deny to any person within its National Labor Relations Act of 1935 Conn. General Life Ins. v. Johnson [1938] This decision is the functional opposite of jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.” *Campaign for the 8 hour work day. Of the 14th Amendment cases Civil Rights Act [1964] economic power which may, if not regulated, dominate not only our right in 1807.) Susan B. Anthony went to the polls and cast *Knights of Labor membership 1,000,000 The National Labor Relations Board required employer Justice Black dissents: “I do not believe the word “person” in the Somersett’s Case. a vote in 1872, justifying her right to vote on This act ended voting discrimination and literacy testing economy but the very heart of our democracy, the electoral process... It was this second use of the word “person” that the 14th Amendment. The case never went brought before the Supreme Court neutrality when it came to the self-organization of workers. 26th Amendment [1971] corporate lawyers argued should be applied to corporations. with 60,000 Black and even more women members. Corporate Personhood 14th Amendment includes corporations.” The state need not allow its own creation to consume it.” to the Supreme Court, but she was found It was a violation of the Act if an employer interfered in as a qualification for voting, established the Commission Voting age changed from 21 to 18 years of age. guilty in a lower court. *Farmers Alliance has 100,000 members between 1890 and 1910, Rehnquist also dissented: “The blessings of perpetual life and limited This Timeline was compiled by Jan Edwards with much help from: is the Legal Fiction that any way with a union drive. on Equal Employment Opportunity, and ended Passed to recognize that if 18-year-olds could *Populists draw up founding document The Cleburne Demands 19 dealt with African Americans, discrimination in public facilities. liability...so beneficial in the economic sphere, pose special dangers Move to Amend Doug Hammerstrom, Bill Meyers, Molly Morgan, Mary Zepernick, *Eugene Debs builds the Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen Property is a Person. be drafted into military service, they should be in the political sphere.” is a coalition of citizens working towards Virginia Rasmussen, Kaitlin Sopoci-Belknap, Thomas Linzey, Jane *Das Kapital by Karl Marx published in English 288 dealt with corporations. allowed to vote. passage of a Constitutional Amendment Anne Morris, and Richard Grossman. Thanks to Carl Mayer for his *Looking Backwards by Edward Bellamy [1887] to end Corporate Personhood. article “Personalizing the Impersonal.” Early supporters of this work include: 1,000,000 + copies sold, 100 + groups formed More about this timeline at The Alliance for Democracy, The Program on Corporations Law and Democracy, People gain or lose Rights and Powers www.MoveToAmend.org and The Women’s International League for Peace & Freedom.