Have questions for Free Speech For People or want to learn how to get involved? This list was put together to help you understand where Free Speech For People stands on Citizens United and other important issues. What is Free Speech For People? What is the Problem? What will it take to overturn the Supreme Court’s ruling in Citizens United v. FEC? Is a Constitutional amendment an appropriate response? What will the Democracy For All Amendment say and what will it do? “Who votes on the Democracy For All Amendment and when? What will the People’s Rights Amendment say and what will it do? Will the People’s Rights Amendment limit speech? What about the press? Will the People’s Rights Amendment prevent people from joining together into political parties, citizens’ organizations, associations, unions or other groups to participate in elections and public debate? What will be the impact of the People’s Rights Amendment on company political action committees (PACs) and employee contributions? Who funds Free Speech For People? What is Free Speech For People? Free Speech For People (FSFP) is a national, non-‐partisan campaign seeking to restore democracy to the people and to ensure that people, not corporations, govern in America. FSFP is dedicated to overturning, through a 28th Amendment to the US Constitution, the US Supreme Court’s January 2010 ruling in Citizens United v. FEC and a corporate rights doctrine, which threatens our elections and our self-government. Back to top. What is the problem? On January 21, 2010, the US Supreme Court, in Citizens United v. FEC, overturned longstanding precedent barring corporate expenditures in our elections. The ruling allows corporations to spend unlimited amounts of money in our political process. It also extends, in the most extreme way yet, the dangerous claim that corporations should be treated as people under the US Constitution with the same constitutional rights. Back to top. What will it take to overturn the Supreme Court’s ruling in Citizens United v. FEC? There are only two ways a Supreme Court ruling can be overturned. The Court could do so itself via a new case or the people can do so via a Constitutional amendment. In order to win a new amendment, we must pass it through two thirds of both houses of Congress and then it goes to the States for ratification. From there, we’ll need 3⁄4 of all state legislatures to enact it. The Court’s ruling in Citizens United demands that, once again, we the people use the constitutional amendment process to defend our democracy. Back to top. Is a Constitutional amendment an appropriate response? Yes. We have amended the Constitution 27 times. Seven of those 27 amendments overturned Supreme Court decisions. Most of these Amendments corrected what the American people understood were improper restrictions on the right of all people to participate in self-‐government on equal terms. Back to top. What will the Democracy For All Amendment say and what will it do? Who votes on the Democracy For All Amendment and when? The U.S. Senate will vote on the Democracy For All Amendment on September 8, 2014. Back to top. What will the People’s Rights Amendment say and what will it do? The People’s Rights Amendment, our name for this language behind this Constitutional amendment, will overturn the Citizens United v. FEC ruling and a corporate rights doctrine and will restore our Constitution and democracy to the people. The People’s Rights Amendment will end the misuse and abuse of people’s constitutional rights by multinational corporations to subvert democratically enacted laws and to gain advantage over competitors. The amendment makes clear that corporations are not people with constitutional rights and ensures that people, not corporations, govern in America. Back to top. Will the People’s Rights Amendment limit speech? No. The People’s Rights Amendment will preserve and protect free speech for everyone. Eliminating corporate money in politics or eliminating the ability of corporations to strike down laws that executives of a corporation may think limit corporate marketing campaigns will not affect the speech rights of a single person. The People’s Rights Amendment simply means that we will not allow courts to pretend that corporations are people when it comes to the Constitution. Back to top. What about the press? The People’s Rights Amendment will do nothing to infringe freedom of speech or of the press. The First Amendment clearly prevents government suppression of “the press,” whether a corporation or not, and that is as it should be. Regardless of whether the New York Times, Fox News, and other media are operated by people using the corporate form, the media are “press” under the First Amendment, and are not subject to restriction of expression or press activities. Back to top. Will the People’s Rights Amendment prevent people from joining together into political parties, citizens’ organizations, associations, unions or other groups to participate in elections and public debate? No. The People’s Rights Amendment applies to corporate entities, has no application to voluntary associations, and does not change constitutionally protected freedom of association. People are always free to associate with others to promote their speech or engage in political activity. Back to top. What will be the impact of the People’s Rights Amendment on company political action committees (PACs) and employee contributions? The People’s Rights Amendment will have no impact on laws that apply to political action committee (PAC) contributions and individual contributions made by company employees or others. Back to top. Who funds Free Speech For People? Free Speech For People is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that receives funding from individuals and foundations across the country. Back to top. Click here to download a detailed version of our Frequently Asked Questions.