Why are corporations not people?

Corporations are not simply associations of individuals.

One example of this is limited liability, which makes a corporation liable for actions while shielding the actual humans behind the corporation. This doesn’t mean that the people who come together to incorporate give up any rights by doing so.

Are corporations considered people?

To this day, the Supreme Court has been of at least two minds when it comes to corporations—they are treated as “persons” who are covered by the Equal Protection Clause (and Contracts Clause among others), but they are excluded from the definition of “citizens” under the Comity Clause.

Who said corporations are not people?

But one belief that unites more than most is this: Corporations are not people. “Corporations are people, my friend,” said Mitt Romney in 2012, and Democrats skewered his cluelessness. “I don’t care how many times you try to explain it,” Barack Obama said on the stump. “Corporations aren’t people.

How is a corporation like a person?

Under the law, corporations possess many of the same rights and responsibilities as individuals. They can enter contracts, loan and borrow money, sue and be sued, hire employees, own assets, and pay taxes. Some refer to a corporation as a “legal person.”

What made corporations people?

Under U.S. law, some essential rights of the 14th amendment belong not only to American citizens, but also corporations—thanks to a few key Supreme Court cases and a controversial legal concept known as corporate personhood.

Do corporations have more rights than individuals?

In fact, corporations have more rights under the law than human beings. In a democracy, every citizen is supposed to have an equal voice in decision-making. But because of corpo- rate personhood, a few corporations have a much bigger voice than all of the people combined.

Why are corporations viewed as people?

Corporate personhood or juridical personality is the legal notion that a juridical person such as a corporation, separately from its associated human beings (like owners, managers, or employees), has at least some of the legal rights and responsibilities enjoyed by natural persons.

When did corporations become people?