During the State of the Union address in January, President Barack Obama took it upon himself to criticize the Supreme Court’s decision on lobbying. The decision in question, allows corporation and unions to spend money freely to endorse or condemn candidates in political ads.
Obama stated that “With all due deference to the separation of powers, the Supreme Court reversed a century of law to open the floodgates for special interests – including foreign corporations – to spend without limit in our elections”. The judges did not take to it very kindly, not for what was said but for where it was said. According to Chief Justice John Roberts, the circumstances and decorum demanded something more diplomatic from Obama. He said that having to sit there expressionless with his colleagues, as required by protocol, while the rest of the government stood up to cheer was very troubling. Justice Samuel Alito was the only one of the six Judges present to openly show his disapproval by shaking his head and apparently mouthing the words “Not true”.
Senior adviser David Axelrod and press secretary Robert Gibbs stood firmly by President Obama and defended his statement vehemently. Axelrod claimed that under the new ruling, a corporation could threaten a senator with a negative campaign unless he consented to see things their way. He said that these tactics would see the voice of the American people drowned out. He even went on to say that this ruling was a threat to democracy.