Protestor Protests Citizens United In Supreme Court

February 26th, 2014

Marcia Coyle has the story!

After Carter Phillips of Sidley Austin finished his argument in Octane Fitness v. Icon Health & Fitness and moved away from the lectern for his opponent’s rebuttal, a young man in suit and tie stood in the center aisle at the back of the courtroom and shouted:

“Money is not speech. Corporations are not people. Overturn Citizens United.”

Supreme Court police officers, who stand with watchful eyes in the courtroom, quickly moved to the rear, restrained the protester, and removed him from the courtroom. Noah Newkirk of Los Angeles later was charged with violating Title 40, section 6134: making “a harangue or oration, or utter[ing] loud threatening or abusive language in the Supreme Court Building.”

Some justices seemed momentarily startled by the outburst. But without skipping a beat, the chief justice informed Rudolph Telscher of Harness Dickey in St. Louis that he had three minutes remaining, and the composed Telscher launched into his rebuttal.

And Art Lien has the sketch.