Occupy Wall Street to Take Demonstration to the Courthouse

It’s the end of the week, but it’s not a day off for Occupy Wall Street protesters.

On Friday, the group plans to “occupy” more than 100 cities across the country to protest a landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision that removed most limits on corporate and labor spending in federal elections.

The protest is intended to kick-off petition drives demonstrators hope will gain support for a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United vs. FEC, a 2010 ruling that allowed private groups to freely spend substantial amounts on political campaigns.

“The courts created the idea that the corporation is a person with constitutional rights,” David Cobb, an Occupy the Courts organizer, told the Associated Press. “It’s the justification for the whole corporate takeover of our government.”

Protesters in the movement’s origin city of New York may not be participating, however. On Thursday, in response to a permit request, a judge ruled that demonstrators do not have a First Amendment right to protest in front of a Manhattan federal courthouse.

Although permits have been denied and local governments have shut-down encampments across the nation, protesters say the movement is not over. Instead of focusing on appealing recent rulings, the groups plan to organize the protests elsewhere, if need be.

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