Heather Sturgill, a volunteer with Move to Amend Miami County, Ohio, explores how corporations have more rights than people. She calls on readers to urge their representatives to support House Joint Resolution 54, the We the People Amendment.

As we approach the May 10th anniversary of the 1886 Supreme Court’s Santa Clara County v. Southern Pacific Railroad Company decision it is becoming increasingly clear that corporations have more rights than flesh and blood people. Though the decision itself did not explicitly grant corporations personhood, the headnote written by the court reporter stated that corporations are entitled to protection under the Fourteenth Amendment, a provision originally designed to protect freed slaves.

Section 1 of the 14^th amendment of the U.S. Constitution includes “nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”

In subsequent decades, this clause has been applied in a range of contexts, including to shield corporations from certain forms of government action. A notable example occurred in General Dynamics Corp. v. United States (2011), when the Supreme Court held that the government could not pursue its claims against the defense contractor without disclosing classified information essential to the company's defense. Because the evidence in question involved state secrets, the Court concluded that the proper course was to dismiss the claims, effectively protecting the corporation’s procedural rights under the due process clause.

Critics of the expanding scope of corporate rights contend that this legal doctrine has increasingly insulated powerful economic actors from accountability, even as individuals—particularly immigrants and undocumented residents—face significant hurdles in asserting their own rights.

In recent months, the Trump administration has intensified immigration enforcement, often citing national security to justify withholding information. For instance, in March 2025, the U.S. designated the Tren de Aragua gang, as a terrorist organization, then rounded up over 250 supposedly Venezuelan migrants and deported them to El Salvador, claiming they were linked to the gang. However, the U.S. government did not provide families or the media with names, evidence of crimes, or affiliations, citing operational security.

The use of national security to withhold information in immigration cases is not new. Senator Chris Van Hollen recently criticized the current administration for deporting Kilmar Ábrego García, a Maryland resident. And, despite a unanimous Supreme Court decision that ordered the administration to facilitate his return, he has yet to be brought back. The administration accuses García of MS-13 gang affiliation but has not filed any charges related to that accusation, raising questions about the use of unverified allegations to justify deportations. ​

Withholding information prevents individuals from challenging their detention or deportation effectively. And, the lack of access to evidence and legal recourse raises concerns about potential abuses of power and the erosion of constitutional protections.

Now, if we contrast the actions of the U.S. administration when dealing with people, vs when dealing with corporations we see that in the last decade, the principle of corporate personhood has been used to the advantage of powerful corporations, while ordinary flesh and blood persons often face less favorable outcomes when seeking justice.

As the country marks the anniversary of the Santa Clara decision, some activists and lawmakers are calling for a reevaluation of corporate rights and their broader implications.

Contact your State level representatives (www.ohiosenate.gov and https://ohiohouse.gov/) and ask them: “In the Ohio Senate, Kent Smith and Nickie Antonio have introduced S.R. No. 93 that calls for an amendment to the U.S. Constitution to end ‘corporate personhood’ and ‘money as speech.’ We expect a similar resolution to be introduced in the House. Will you support this?”

Contact your representative in Congress (202-224-3121) and ask them: “Please support House Joint Resolution 54 (HJR 54). It’s a call for a 28th Amendment to the Constitution that restores that fundamental promise of our Republic: government of, by, and for the people.”

Contact your Senators (Husted & Moreno 202-224-3121) and ask them: “Please to cosponsor a companion resolution to House Joint Resolution 54 (HJR 54) when it's introduced in the Senate. It’s a call for a 28th Amendment to the Constitution that restores that fundamental promise of our Republic: government of, by, and for the people.”

Heather Sturgill, a volunteer with Move to Amend Miami County, writes to the Dayton Daily News to explain how Ohio House Bill 30 unfairly benefits the ultra wealthy.  

Ohio HB 30 would implement a “flat tax,” meaning teachers, home health aides, nurses, and warehouse workers would pay the same tax rate as billionaires. At first glance, this might seem fair — but it’s not. Percentages matter — and they’re relative. A flat tax is only fair if everything else — housing, food, medicine — each costs a certain % of income. But they don’t.

Example: Ohio’s Education Dept. poverty rate = $27,180 vs Musk’s Tesla compensation = $46 billion.

A $.74 Walmart apple = 0.00272% of the annual income of someone in poverty.0.00272% of Musk’s income = $1.84M for that same apple. Children’s cough syrup costs $6.99. That’s 0.0257% for that person in poverty. 0.0257% for Musk makes that same cough syrup cost = $11.5M. The cheapest Miami County apartment on Zillow = $635/month or $7,620/year. That’s 28% of a poverty-level income.28% of Musk’s income for that same apartment = about $13 BILLION.

A flat tax ignores that no other required expenses are a % of our income, essentially making this a tax break for the wealthy…that don’t NEED the tax break.

When Musk/other millionaires pay the same % of their income for apples & cough syrup as us, then we can talk about him paying the same % income tax rate. Until then, NO to HB 30.

Contact your Ohio House Representative and tell them “NO to HB 30. NO flat tax that treats billionaires like broke workers!”

- Heather Sturgill, Cincinnati

Heather Sturgill, a volunteer with Move to Amend Miami County, Ohio, made the following statement at the May 6 Troy City Council meeting:

To the editor:

People are increasingly concerned about big money in politics and the influence large corporations have on policies that affect us at the local level, such as rail transportation safety and toxic substance disposal.

In advance of the March 19 primary, members of Move to Amend Miami County surveyed candidates on the ballot for Congressional Districts 8 and 15 and Ohio House District 80. We asked candidates to answer “yes” or “no” to this question: “I support amending the U.S. Constitution to make clear that corporations and other artificial entities do not have constitutional rights and that money is not speech and campaign spending should be limited through regulation.”

Here are the responses:

• Congressional District 8, Republican race: Kay Rogers answered “yes.” Incumbent Warren Davidson did not respond.

• Congressional District 8, Democratic race: Dr. Vanessa Enoch and Nathaniel Hawkins both answered “yes.” David Gelb did not respond.

• Congressional District 15, Republican race: Incumbent Mike Carey, running unopposed, did not respond.

• Congressional District 15, Democratic race: Zerqa Abid answered “yes.” Adam Miller did not respond.

• Ohio House 80: Johnathan Newman, running unopposed for the Republican nomination, did not respond. Melissa VanDyke, running unopposed for the Democratic nomination, answered “yes.”

The candidates’ full responses can be found at www.movetoamend.org/pledge2024

Move to Amend Miami County is an affiliate of the national, nonprofit, nonpartisan coalition of people and organizations promoting the proposed We the People Amendment, reintroduced last spring in the 118thCongress, to affirm that constitutional rights belong to natural persons only and money spent on campaigns at all levels of government shall be regulated. You can read the proposed amendment at www.movetoamend.org/amendment.

Move to Amend neither supports nor opposes candidates, regardless of their response or nonresponse to the survey. Rather, volunteers work to educate the public about the need for the proposed amendment and explain what the amendment will and will not do.

Thank you.

Dede Wissman

Troy

Corinne Simpson, a 10^th grader at Archbishop Alter High School in Kettering, was honored March 9, 2024 for her entry in the We the People Art Contest, presented by Greater Dayton Move to Amend in partnership with the Dayton International Peace Museum.

Titled “We All Deserve to Be Heard,” Corinne’s submission captured the spirit of the contest theme, “The Democracy We Want,” and was beautifully executed using pen, alcohol markers and acrylic paint. She had entered the contest at the encouragement of her AP Government teacher, Brad Clough, who said Corinne routinely produces creative covers for assignments.

Corinne said she enjoys class discussions about different forms of government and hearing different perspectives on what needs to change in society. As she thought about entering the contest, she considered what could be improved in our democracy.

“Some people think they don’t have a voice in what’s going on,” she said. “I wanted to put that as the title because I don’t think everyone is getting heard.”   

The art contest was open to Dayton-area students in grades 9-12, with cash prizes to be awarded in three categories: visual arts, performing arts, and political cartoons. Corinne’s artwork, however, was the only submission.

“We were disappointed to find that our outreach to the schools fell short,” said Mary Sue Gmeiner, affiliate co-coordinator. “Fortunately, her entry is awesome, and so we are awarding her all of the prize money in the visual arts category and having her artwork framed.”

Two local artists also provided written critiques of Corinne’s artwork, which will be on display at the Peace Museum through April 6.

Although Corinne was unable to work art into her busy schedule this year, she intends to be back in the art room with art teacher Eric Hall, who, along with Clough, attended the reception held at the Peace Museum.

Corinne is the daughter of Tania and Roderick Simpson of Miami Township. In addition to enjoying art, she runs track and cross country. She also plays the violin and is a member of the Miami Valley Symphony Orchestra Youth Strings.

“Corinne, while our contest turned out not to be a contest, we consider you a winner,” said Deb Hogshead, contest coordinator. “And we want to remind everyone that change often begins with one person stepping up and taking action.”

For more information about our pilot art contest and what we learned from the experience, contact Hogshead at [email protected].

On October 2020 we held a participatory People's Movement Assembly (PMA) with over a hundred people from across the country who came together to discuss why and how we need to democratize the United States Constitution. 

The 2020 People’s Movement Assembly was a catalyst -- the beginning of something big -- and we invite you to sign up below to stay up to date on all things related to this project!

During the 2020 PMA we collectively identified that:

• We are in a moment of converging crises - Climate collapse, global uprisings against state violence and police brutality, and a global pandemic when most are without access to healthcare.
  
  
• What's happening now is rooted in the values defined in (or missing from) the US Constitution - An undemocratic and ultra-powerful judicial branch, lack of human rights protections, no right to vote, and a whole lot of racist language just to name a few.
  
  
• Bold, systemic change is needed - We have to know our power and be able to think outside of what we’ve been told is possible. It’s going to take courage, audacity, and a whole lot of learning and conversations to make it happen. But the only thing we have to lose is our chains. 
  
  
• We have to have a vision and a plan - We learned that when constitutions around the world are re-imagined (on average other countries rewrite their constitutions every 19 years!) they’re more democratic when the Movement has a clear vision of what they want in their constitution. We have been building this vision for over ten years, and we continued it this weekend. 
  
  
• People want a constitution that protects human rights, not just property rights. We like a lot of what’s in the Bill of Rights, (with some changes and exceptions), but the rights should extend further. People want a right to healthcare, housing, rights of nature, gender equity, a right to vote, and a whole lot more. 
  
  
• We don't have to start from scratch. We can get over American exceptionalism and take inspiration from the constitutions of other countries, the UN Declaration on Human Rights, and the 2nd Bill of Rights proposed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

We have a lot of political muscle to build to be prepared to democratize the constitution. We’re not proposing Move to Amend are the ones to do it alone, nor that it should be done right now. But there are people who want to restrict rights and create room for more authoritarianism, and they’re planning for a constitutional convention. We need to have a plan too. If we don’t, things aren't going to turn out well.

We’re moving forward on this work, we’re creating a strategy, and if you liked the 2020 PMA, there’s a lot more where that came from. Sign up below to stay up to date on the latest news and future People's Movement Assemblies and our Toward a People's Constitution program.