Can a legal corporation be the President of the US?

[Cronus Protagonist]

Is it possible?

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[Dookus]

1. umm

no.

[Occulus]

23. I would say, unfortunately, that is up for debate!

As amazing as it may seem, I'm not certain that this is technically impossible.

Chilling thought, but I'm unsure. God HELP us if one can....

[Philostopher]

2. Interesting question, Cronus.

After all, they can sue in court the same way a private citizen can, and sue as if they were an individual. How do you establish citizenship for a corporation, though? I mean, establishing citizenship isn't important when determining libel/slander in the case of a human being who's disgrunted with said corporation saying or writing in a public forum to express that dissatisfaction ... but for President, it would be an issue.

[Cronus Protagonist]

3. I understand registered corporations have citizenship

At the location where registered, and they enjoy all the rights that pertain thereto (I could be wrong, that's why I'm asking).

I was wondering if these rights went all the way, or stopped short somewhere short of the presidency.

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[Senior citizen]

4. Yes, but......

The corporation has to be more than 25 years old. (Or is it 35?)

[Dookus]

5. 35

and no, corporations really do NOT have citizenship, although the case in question, Santa Clara County v. Southern Pacific Railroad Company resulted in a supreme court justice stating:

The court does not wish to hear argument on the question whether the provision in the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution, which forbids a State to deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws, applies to these corporations. We are all of opinion that it does.

Therefore, corporations are given equal protection under the law.

However, the constitution very clearly states that electors will vote for a PERSON for the office of President.

[alfredo]

8. But isn't a corporation considered a person.

If it is, then maybe Halliburton could be president.

[Cronus Protagonist]

13. I'm thinking that's what we have right now - Bush is the CEO

And the corporation is an industry group engaged in a conspiracy to control the country on behalf of the corporations they represent.

I'm thinking if it's not illegal, we need to get with it. If it is, we need to counter this and make people friendly corporations, perhaps even legislate that if necessary.

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[alfredo]

16. Another failed business venture in my opinion. N/T

Of course the whole bush family business strategy is to win through losing. The trick is to invest other people's money.

[Occulus]

24. hold for a moment, Dookus

that was in the headnotes for the case. As far as I know, a) the headnotes (summary) for a case do not have the force of law, b) the statement amounts to a declaration from the King, and c) it has never been tested.

Interestingly enough, the court reporter (I think his name was Davies) was a former rail company president, IIRC.

This dictrine needs to be challenged.

[Cronus Protagonist]

6. Are some of these "requirements" not malleable?

I bet if the American people wanted a younger president they would get one, right? they're already talking about letting an Austrian immigrant become president, so apparently the birth requirement is also malleable, and in the case of a corporation, it would be clearly able to make a case that it was effectively "born" at the time of its incorporation.

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[Dookus]

9. No

the requirements aren't "malleable". One must amend the constitution in order to change those requirements.

[amber dog democrat]

7. Yes

Since corporations are legally given the status of a person, but the corporation had to be incorporated in the US and at least 35 years old;

[Dookus]

10. wrong

corporations are only given the status of a "person" as it applies to the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment. There's not a court in the land that would decide that a corporation is a person for the purposes of Article II.


Clause 5: No Person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President; neither shall any Person be eligible to that Office who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty five Years, and been fourteen Years a Resident within the United States.

[amber dog democrat]

19. Well

I guess I will accept your remarks. I stand corrected, but now I am very depressed.
I was hoping Enron could run for office someday.

[DieboldMustDie]

11. It's an absurd question of course...

but then the whole concept of corporate personhood is absurd and ought be done away with. Furthermore, corporations should be required by law to take into account in their decision making the well being of their employees as well as society as a whole, not just maximizing shareholder profits. How's that for quixotic? ;)

[Senior citizen]

12. Could we compromise?

And count corporations as 2/3 or 3/4 of a person?

[Cronus Protagonist]

15. I don't think corporations should have anything other than...

...a paperweight to prevent the legal fiction from blowing on to the floor of a dusty lawyers office. I don't see why, if corporations are considered people, why can't my cell phone contract also be considered a person. In fact, I think it's unfair to all other contracts and legal fiction for corporations to get more rights than they do. I'm for civil rights among legal contracts.

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[amber dog democrat]

17. Make it 3/5ths

and a Missouri Compromise for good luck.

[Cronus Protagonist]

14. I like that idea

Of course, it's far out on the left these days, but I like to hang out here too... :)

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[lcooksey]

18. Isn't that what we have now?

Somebody had to say it. :)

[rniel]

20. Let's elect WalMart 2004!!!

n/m

[libcurious]

21. You mean

corporations don't run the country now?
Puh-leezzz

[Cronus Protagonist]

22. If that's the case, and if it's illegal for corporations

Then someone needs to sue the Bush Administration because they're representing only a small cabal of wealthy corporations and their officers, not the people.

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[libcurious]

25. Should have

sued both bushes and the clinton administrations.