'A handful of aloof, unelected judges have been turning what's supposed to be a citadel of justice into an unrestrained political instrument for instituting autocratic, plutocratic, theocratic power over us.'
Authorizing corporate giants to buy our elections.Today's tightly knit Republican majority on the court did not come together by happenstance—and certainly not because any one of them was the brightest, most fair-minded choice in the land.
In his memo, Powell lamented that the likes of Ralph Nader were getting media coverage and legislative action by accusing upstanding corporate citizens of profiteering from wrongdoings such as intentionally selling dangerous products. Powell wailed that poor little corporate America wasn't getting the respect it deserved from lawmakers, nor did it have its fair share of power over the nation's political system.
Just two months after Powell sent his memo, Nixon awarded him a seat on the Supreme Court. Although few Americans have ever heard of him, Powell spent the next 15 years on the bench advancing corporate power over us, including writing a 1978 opinion that Roberts and Co. used 32 years later to justify their Citizens United decree.