Hawaii Is Overthrowing Citizens United

Hawaii Is Overthrowing Citizens United

From Lever Time by David Sirota

June 4, 2026 · 34 min · Season 7 · Episode 26

About this episode

David Sirota discusses Hawaii's new law challenging Citizens United with state Sen. Jarrett Keohokalole.

Hawaii just enacted a groundbreaking law challenging Citizens United, the Supreme Court decision that unleashed unlimited corporate spending in elections. It’s a major victory against big money’s grip on democracy — but powerful interests are already gearing up for a legal showdown. On today’s Lever Time, David Sirota speaks with Hawaii state Sen. Jarrett Keohokalole, one of the law’s architects, about how the measure works, why Hawaii is leading the fight against Citizens United, and why reformers believe they finally have a path to victory. Get ad-free episodes, bonus content and extended interviews by becoming a member at levernews.com/join. To leave a tip for The Lever, click here. It helps us do this kind of independent journalism. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

People in this episode

Host: David Sirota

Guest: Jarrett Keohokalole

Topics covered

  • Citizens United
  • Hawaii law
  • corporate spending
  • democracy
  • political reform

Keywords

  • Hawaii
  • Citizens United
  • corporate spending
  • democracy
  • political reform
  • Jarrett Keohokalole
  • David Sirota

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Citizens United, The Lever

Places: Hawaii

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