Why? Because, like most Americans, the Montana justices do not believe corporations are the same as people, and they are genuinely worried about how unregulated corporate influence could profoundly alter the political landscape. Even in Montana, a state dominated by conservative Republicans, people are justly concerned that deep-pocketed corporations — mining companies, especially — could run roughshod over the broader public interest. This is not a theoretical question. Montana adopted the law in 1906 in reaction to exactly that kind of behavior — a copper mining company was able to dominate state politics, including buying up judgeships to guarantee favorable court rulings.