The Securities and Exchange Commission\u27s 2010 Proxy Access Proposals: A Poison Pill for Corporate Health

The SEC has proposed proxy access rules in the wake of the recent financial crisis. With the stated purpose of removing impediments to the exercise of shareholder voice and increasing director accountability, the proposed rule changes are not without problems. The proposed rules enter a mix in which the corporate governance landscape, shaped by powerful role players, already presents troubling possibilities for activist shareholder abuse. This Article argues that adoption of the proposed rules could be the final piece to a puzzle in which shareholder power is achieved at the expense of long-term corporate health and shareholder value