The First Amendment Versus Corporate Law

The headline reads: Montana High Court Says 'Citizens United' Does Not Apply In Big Sky State.  I have not had a chance to read the entire 80-page decision, but I did want to share some thoughts that struck me when I read the headline--acknowledging that they may not be relevant to the particular dispute itself.

I have written here and here about my belief that Citizens United is more about corporate theory than the espoused First Amendment rights of listeners.  If nothing else, even if one gives great weight to the rights of listeners it seems difficult (if not impossible) to decide whether corporations fit within the narrow class of cases allowing for identity-based restrictions under the First Amendment without resolving the fervent corporate theory debate the majority and dissent in Citizens United engage in (all while claiming corporate theory is irrelevant).  In trying to unravel the mystery of this apparent inconsistency, I have noted that one explanation is the problems created by admitting corporate theory is dispositive--one of which is that this acknowledgement raises the very serious specter of these questions being more about state corporate law than First Amendment rights.  To that end, this quote from the [reluctant] dissent in the Montana case seems relevant: "Corporations are artificial creatures of law. As such, they should enjoy only those powers—not constitutional rights, but legislatively-conferred powers—that are concomitant with their legitimate function, that being limited liability investment vehicles for business."

SJP