Article
Corporate Personhood
Choice: Current Reviews for Academic Libraries
(2019)
Abstract
Ripken (Chapman Univ.) examines the legal, ethical, religious, political, and free speech aspects of considering corporations as persons. This corporate personhood allows them to behave as individuals who can enter into contracts, sue, be sued, own property, and support political candidates. A Supreme Court case, Citizens United vs. Federal Election Commission, confirmed the latter. The Burwell vs. Hobby Lobby case supported the notion that closely held, for-profit corporations are statutory persons who may challenge federal laws in support of religious freedom. Through several chapters, Ripken points out that the sharply divided Supreme Court exhibits many dichotomies of thought. Corporations can be artificial and fictional versus real and natural, an aggregate of individuals versus a collectivist entity, and a basis for maximizing shareholder wealth versus serving a broader public interest. These conflicting points of view have major implications for free speech, religion, and race relations that the author covers in separate chapters. A final chapter describes how corporate personhood might be abolished through activist, state, and federal support. Well referenced with court cases, law reviews, and journal articles.
Disciplines
Publication Date
December, 2019
Citation Information
G. E. Kaupins. "Corporate Personhood" Choice: Current Reviews for Academic Libraries Vol. 57 Iss. 4 (2019) p. 463 - 463 Available at: http://works.bepress.com/gundars_kaupins/121/