Supreme Court 'a subsidiary of big business,' Warren says

We're glad someone finally told the truth about our highest court.

Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, speaking to the AFL-CIO convention yesterday, warned them of "corporate capture of the courts."

Politico reports,

Warren assailed the court as an instrument of the wealthy that regularly sides with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. She cited an academic study that called the current Supreme Court’s five conservative-leaning justices among the “top 10 most pro-corporate justices in half a century.”... 

“You follow this pro-corporate trend to its logical conclusion, and sooner or later you’ll end up with a Supreme Court that functions as a wholly owned subsidiary of Big Business,” Warren said, drawing murmurs from the crowd.

Sadly, it isn't just the U.S. Supreme Court. A report last year by the Center for American Progress showed the influence of corporate interests on state courts as well. Since many states elect their judges, corporate money has poured into campaigns for judges. Here are just three scary examples:

1. Between 2001-03, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's preferred candidates won 21 of 24 state court elections. 
2. In 2006, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce spent $1 million on just two judges' races.
3. In Alabama's most recent election for the state's highest court, 40 percent of all campaign contributions came from the state's chamber of commerce. 

Be very afraid.