Some state lawmakers are calling for a federal constitutional convention.
They want to amend the Constitution in order to allow laws that limit the influence of money in politics, in the wake of two U.S. Supreme Court decisions – Citizens United in 2010 and McCutcheon last week – which they say open the spigot for the wealthy to overwhelm regular people when it comes to spending on political races.
“We need to amend this Constitution so we can reverse the Supreme Court ruling on Citizens United. That ruling gave corporations personhood, and led to the creation of super PACs, not only in Illinois but throughout the nation,” said State Sen. William Delgado (D-Chicago).
The idea is pending in a handful of other states, but it has not yet passed the legislature anywhere.