Hillary Clinton’s Supreme Court Litmus Test

In an effort to woo Bernie Sanders followers to vote for Hillary, Mrs. Clinton is intensifying her promise to rewrite the 1^st Amendment, which would limit political speech that she and Bernie’s followers don’t like. In a taped speech to Netroots Nation (a conference of progressives), here’s what Mrs. Clinton promised:

Today, I’m announcing that in my first 30 days as President, I will propose a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United and give the American people—all of us—the chance to reclaim our democracy

“Who knew”, asks the WSJ, “the 225-year-old First Amendment was in need of such urgent (30 days) revision?”

Mrs. Clinton knows that such an amendment won’t pass, so she also took up the spirit of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg ’s recent comments that she expects a new liberal majority on the Court to rewrite the First Amendment the easier way. “I’ll also appoint Supreme Court justices who understand that this decision was a disaster for our democracy,” Mrs. Clinton said. “And I hope some of the brilliant minds in this room will seek out cases to challenge Citizens United in the courts.” So add one more litmus test for Mrs. Clinton’s Supreme Court nominees.

The final irony? Hillary’s cozy relationship with Wall Street and the huge speaking fees she has received from Goldman Sachs. She, of all the presidential candidates, perhaps has gained the most from Citizens United.

According to the Center for Public Integrity:

… Clinton’s own election efforts are largely immune from her reformist platform. While Clinton rails against “unaccountable money” that is “corrupting our political system,” corporations, unions and nonprofits bankrolled by unknown donors have already poured millions of dollars into a network of Clinton-boosting political organizations. That’s on top of the tens of millions an elite club of Democratic megadonors, including billionaires George Soros and Haim Saban, have contributed.

Justice Scalia on Citizens United