NORTHAMPTON – The City Council unanimously passed a resolution Thursday calling for a Constitutional amendment that would reverse a Supreme Court decision giving corporations the same rights as people.

The resolution cites Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, in which the Supreme Court ruled that a law restricting corporate campaign contributions was unconstitutional because it violated the First Amendment right to free speech. Critics of the ruling, including the City Council, say it has unleashed a torrent of corporate money into the political process, influencing elections.

During the public comment session, a half dozen people spoke in support of the resolution. Amherst resident John Bonifaz, the co-founder of Free Speech for People, called the court’s ruling “a direct threat to the integrity of our elections.

“Corporations don’t breathe, corporations don’t think, corporations don’t have a conscience,” Bonifaz said.

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