Submitted by Robert S. Olive, Sep 16, 2010 11:20

The ACLU did the right thing in the Skokie case, and it would likely be a mistake to reverse course in 1st Amendment/Citizens now, BUT: I quit paying dues when I became aware of its position in Citizens, even though that was when my ignorance of the "person" issue belatedly surfaced. Even though Hugo Black reversed his position later, he was absolutely correct when he first addressed the internally ridiculous concept of corporate personhood. The ACLU's initial position on the issue was wrong and was based on political leanings at the time (trying to protect collective bodies as a means of protecting individuals). The error should have been acknowledged last year in the ACLU brief, and the Court should have booted a century of strained, ludicrous precedent. The only way it can be fixed now is by a Constitutional Amendment that will never happen.

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