Congress proposes stripping corporations of constitutional rights

What it does

This proposed constitutional amendment would strip corporations and other artificial entities of constitutional rights, reserving those protections for natural persons only. It would explicitly authorize federal, state, and local governments to regulate political contributions and spending, and declare that money spent to influence elections is not protected speech under the First Amendment.

Why we flagged it

This is a direct-democracy proposal to amend the Constitution itself, fundamentally redefining the scope of constitutional rights and explicitly authorizing campaign finance regulation. It is not a statute but a proposed constitutional text.

What the text implies

• Would overturn Citizens United v. FEC (2010) and related Supreme Court precedent treating corporate political spending as protected speech, requiring a 3/4 state ratification threshold.
• Section 2 explicitly instructs courts NOT to interpret campaign spending as First Amendment speech, directly constraining judicial interpretation of the First Amendment itself.
• Would grant governments broad authority to regulate or prohibit corporate contributions and spending with minimal constitutional constraint, potentially affecting corporate lobbying, PACs, and independent expenditures.
• Ratification would require 38 state legislatures to approve, a historically high bar; failure to ratify leaves the status quo (corporate personhood and spending-as-speech doctrine) intact.

Who it affects

Ordinary citizens would gain stronger democratic voice by allowing governments to regulate campaign spending and corporate political influence, reducing the ability of wealthy entities to dominate elections. The amendment directly addresses the concern that corporate money drowns out individual voter power.

Named in the bill

Citizens United v. FEC, First Amendment, corporations, limited liability companies, Federal Election Commission, state legislatures

Where it stands

82 cosponsors: 82 Democrats.

• Feb 12, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
• Feb 12, 2025 — Referred to House Committee on the Judiciary · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary”

Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.