Corporatocracy: How to Protect Democracy from Dark Money and Corrupt Politicians

Reveals how corporate greed led to scandal, corruption, and the January 6th insurrection--and how we can stop it from happening again

Donald Trump's false claims of election fraud and the violence of the Capitol riot have made it unavoidably clear that the future of American democracy is in peril. Unseen political actors and untraceable dark money influence our elections, while anti-democratic rhetoric threatens a tilt towards authoritarianism.

In Corporatocracy, Ciara Torres-Spelliscy reveals the role corporations play in this dire state of political affairs, and explains why and how they should be held accountable by the courts, their shareholders, and citizens themselves. Drawing on key Supreme Court cases, Torres-Spelliscy explores how corporations have, more often than not, been on the wrong side of history by working to undermine democratic norms, practices, and laws. From bankrolling regressive politicians to funding ghost candidates with dark money, she shows us how corporations subvert the will of the American people, and how courts struggle to hold them and corrupt politicians accountable.

Corporations have existed far longer than democracies have. If voters, consumers, and investors are not careful, corporations may well outlive democracy. Corporatocracy brings all of these shadowy tactics to light and offers meaningful legal reforms that can strengthen and protect American democracy.

Author: Ciara Torres-Spelliscy
Publisher: New York University Press
Published: 11/05/2024
Pages: 328
Binding Type: Hardcover
ISBN: 9781479828326


Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 09/16/2024

About the Author
Ciara Torres-Spelliscy is Professor of Law at Stetson University and a Fellow at the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law. She is the author of Corporate Citizen?: An Argument for the Separation of Corporation and State and Political Brands. Torres-Spelliscy also serves on the board of directors of the Mertz Gilmore Foundation and Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW).