First Amendment for Human Beings

The Supreme Court further expanded the "rights" of corporations in their decision for Sebelius v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc. The Court majority ruled that corporations have the right to freedom of religion under the First Amendment. This sets the precedent that they can opt out of following laws if they violate the corporation's "religious beliefs".


Move to Amend strongly believes in the protection of Freedom of Religion under the First Amendment -- for human beings.

Regardless of your position on the details of the case as they relate to contraception, or the Affordable Care Act, or your personal religious beliefs, we hope you can see how alarming it is to make the case that a corporation itself has a religion.

A corporation is separate from the individual owners by definition because of limited liability -- if an owner wants to be separate from their organization to shield themselves from responsibility for the corporation's actions, it makes no sense that they can also imbue the organization with something so personal as their religion.

Former Justice William Rehnquist said in 1978 in another case where the majority ruled that corporations have Constitutional rights: "Extension of the individual's freedom of conscience decisions to business corporations strains the rationale of those cases beyond the breaking point. To ascribe to such artificial entities an 'intellect' or 'mind' for freedom of conscience purposes is to confuse metaphor with reality."

It is *so critical* that we use this opportunity to grow this movement. Many people are outraged by the Court's decision. Let's reach these folks and let them know that the best way to put the Court in its place is to pass an amendment to make clear that corporations are not people and the First Amendment is about freedom of speech, not pouring money into elections.

It is also *so critical* that we use this opportunity to push for the We the People Amendment that will make clear that corporations and other artificial entities do not have Constitutional rights and that spending money in elections is not free speech.

If the current lead proposal before the Senate passed tomorrow it would do nothing to address corporate constitutional rights or to stop cases like Hobby Lobby (or the numerous other decisions going back 125 years that have built this idea that corporations have constitutional rights and can overturn laws passed to protect public welfare, or worker's rights, or the environment, if they interfere with corporate profit).

Move to Amend is prepared to meet every problematic Supreme Court decision and use it as an opportunity to grow our movement. We will put an end to this nefarious idea that a corporation is a person -- once and for all.

Thank you for your support,

Daniel Lee, David Cobb, Egberto Willies, George Friday, Jerome Scott, Kaitlin Sopoci-Belknap, Laura Bonham, Edgar Franks, Richard Monje

Move to Amend National Leadership Team