My favorite moment from the State of the Union address Monday came when President Obama called out the conservative wing of the U.S. Supreme Court for last week's decision in Citizens United vs. Federal Elections Commission. Using twisted constitutional logic, the conservative majority concluded that multinational corporations have the same rights as U.S. citizens. Therefore, the majority reasoned, campaign laws limiting election spending by these corporations violated their free speech. They might as well put our democracy up for auction.

The president was not going to let the moment pass without publicly noting his objections to the justices present.

"With all due deference to separation of powers, last week the Supreme Court reversed a century of law that I believe will open the floodgates for special interests -- including foreign corporations -- to spend without limit in our elections," said President Obama, looking down at the black-robed justices seated below the podium as fellow Democrats, many in the gallery and even a few Republicans, applauded. "I don't think American elections should be bankrolled by America's most powerful interests, or worse, by foreign entities. (More applause.) They should be decided by the American people. And I'd urge Democrats and Republicans to pass a bill that helps to correct some of these problems."

Corrections will not be easy, given the court's broad ruling extending constitutional protections to a thing -- a corporation.

Some are calling the president's criticism of the judicial branch inappropriate. I call it well deserved.