Congress proposes stripping corporations of constitutional rights
H.J.Res. 54 — Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States providing that the rights protected and extended by the Constitution are the rights of natural persons only. · Filed by Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) · 81 cosponsors · Introduced Feb 12, 2025 · Referred to committee
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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.
The full analysis lists 4 implications of this text.
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.