A Panel Discussion on McCutcheon and Citizens United Supreme Court Decisions
Moderated by Jim Mertens, WQAD
Davenport, Iowa, May 16, 2014 - Quad City Coalition for Democracy announces it will host a forum to discuss how recent Supreme Court decisions on campaign finance are affecting politics in America.
Sixteen states, including Illinois, have formally demanded that Congress take action to amend the US Constitution to undo the US Supreme Court's decisions in McCutcheon and Citizens United. Close to 600 towns, villages, cities and counties have also made the ask. During the first weeks of March in New Hampshire, forty-seven town meetings called for a constitutional amendment.
In early April, thirteen Wisconsin communities voted overwhelmingly to call on their elected representatives to begin the amendment process. The US Senate will vote this year on a proposed constitutional amendment.
Is money the equivalent to free speech? Do corporations and unions have same rights as natural born citizens? How have these decisions affected politics in our community, especially in places like Coralville where an uninvited outside group spend thousands to affect the outcome of its 2013 City Council Election?
These and other questions will be addressed by our panel of speakers. We hope you will join us for what's sure to be an engaging discussion on the hottest topic of our time: money in politics.
PANELISTS:
Ed Broders, President, Iowa ACLU
Christopher Whitt, Political Science, Dept., Augustana College
Maggie Tinsman, Policy Analyst, 18 year member Iowa Senate
Ken Sagar, President, Iowa Federation of Labor, AFLCIO
Ian Russell, Partner, Lane & Waterman LLP
at the Rogalski Center, St. Ambrose University
518 W. Locust St., Davenport, IA
Thursday, MAY 29th
7PM - 9PM
FREE & OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
