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About 100 In Minn. Protest Campaign Finance Ruling

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — About 100 people demonstrated outside the federal courthouse in Minneapolis on Friday, rallying against the landmark Supreme Court ruling that opened the door for corporations and labor unions to pour more money into politics.

The protest was one of several planned around the country to criticize the Citizens United decision. Several speakers took a stand against the nearly 2-year-old ruling, and the demonstration was interspersed with street theater and chants of "corporations are not people." One skit included a person impersonating Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts performing a marriage ceremony between a person and a corporation.

Sen. John Marty, D-Roseville, said before speaking at the event that he's still stunned by the influence of money on politics, even after a long career in elected office.

"If somebody's going to own our political system, it ought to be the people," Marty said. "It ought to be funded with public money in small individual contributions if they want, but no PAC money, no lobbyist money, no soft money, no super PAC money, no corporate money."

The event was sponsored by Move to Amend, a group trying to gather support for a Constitutional amendment that would undo the Citizens United ruling. Volunteers with clipboards circulated in the crowd, gathering petition signatures. The event also attracted support from the Occupy Minneapolis and Occupy St. Paul movements.

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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