First Amendment, Inc.

• Author: Peters, Charles
• Position: TILTING at windmills - Brief article

In the case just argued in the Supreme Court involving a corporate-sponsored film attacking Hillary Clinton, the issue is whether a corporation enjoys the right of free speech. The argument that it does have such a right is based on the concept that the corporation is a "person," which it clearly is not. This absurd concept found its way into the law with the 1886 Supreme Court decision in Santa Clara County v. Southern Pacific Railroad Company. Since then, corporations have tried to expand the reasonable point that corporations should have some rights enjoyed by an individual--to sue...