Showing posts with label Federalist Society. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Federalist Society. Show all posts

Sunday, August 17, 2025

Leah Litman on the Grievance and Conspiracy Theories That Run SCOTUS (Bradley Onishi and Daniel Miller; Straight White American Jesus podcast)

In this episode of ‘Straight White American Jesus,’ host Brad Onishi welcomes Leah Litman, a professor of law at the University of Michigan Law School , author of Lawless, and co-host of the podcast ‘Strict Scrutiny.’ 

They discuss the political nature of the Supreme Court. 

Litman highlights conservative grievances, the rise of conspiracy theories influenced by these grievances, and the implications for judicial decisions affecting voting rights, LGBT equality, and reproductive rights. 
They explore the detrimental impact of originalism and the influence of the Federalist Society on judicial appointments. The conversation concludes with potential reforms to democratize the Supreme Court, including court expansion and ethics codes.
Interview: 



Tuesday, June 17, 2025

The Next Conservative Civil War Is Coming - POLITICO

Prominent members of the conservative legal movement have been publicly speaking out against Bove's nomination, arguing that he would be more loyal to Trump than the rule of law. That in turn has sparked a backlash against Bove's critics from Trump allies eager to install a new set of judges who may be less tied to the old guard on the right...

https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2025/06/16/emil-bove-nomination-conservative-legal-civil-war-00405837 


 

Saturday, May 31, 2025

Trump goes after Leonard Leo and the Federalist Society in fury over court ruling - POLITICO

The blame, Trump said, lay with the Federalist Society. "

I am so disappointed in The Federalist Society because of the bad advice they gave me on numerous Judicial Nominations," he wrote. "This is something that cannot be forgotten!"



Tuesday, November 26, 2024

Federalist Society’s Leonard Leo wants to “crush liberal dominance” : NPR

His plans involve the Teneo Network, which describes itself as a "talent pipeline" for the conservative movement, with ambitions to influence Hollywood, Silicon Valley and other cultural power centers that he and fellow conservatives see as dominated by liberals. 

The proposed technique is similar to Leo's network of judicial nominees: raising money from conservative donors to help identify, connect and promote the careers of like-minded people. In the language of Teneo's one-page website, the group exists "to Recruit, Connect, and Deploy talented conservatives who lead opinion and shape the industries that shape society."…

Sunday, May 19, 2024

The Bishops, the Billionaires, and the Catholic Far-Right (Bradley Onishi and Daniel Miller; Straight White American Jesus podcast)

Brad speaks with Mary Jo McConahay, who tells the story of how the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops have become one of the most formidable and reactionary forces in America — by campaigning to alter democratic institutions under the guise of religious liberty, and allying with major right-wing contributors such as the Kochs. 

But as McConahay details, that’s just the tip of the iceberg. In an investigation reminiscent of Jane Mayer’s Dark Money, she uncovers an ominous and long-term political strategy of attacking secular, liberal democracy by waging war on democratic norms and institutions. 

Playing God was chosen by the New Yorker as one of the books helping to make sense of the current political moment.
Interview: 


Saturday, February 10, 2024

Revealed: rightwinger Leonard Leo linked to efforts to keep Trump on ballot

"It's no surprise that Leonard Leo is backing efforts to support Trump at the supreme court," said Accountable.US president Caroline Ciccone. "Leo helped Trump draw up his supreme court nominee shortlist – many of whom are justices on the bench set to hear this critical case – and now, Leo's deploying his rightwing network in support of Trump as he faces consequences for his violent insurrection. It couldn't be clearer where Leo stands."…

Thursday, November 2, 2023

Trump Allies Sour on the Group That Pushed His SCOTUS Takeover

Trump allies now view Federalist Society lawyers as "squishes," according to The Times. One of the major points of contention is that the former president does not think the society did enough to help him after the 2020 presidential election. Leonard Leo, who is co-chairman of The Federalist Society, ignored Trump's calls after the election as the president frantically sought to find lawyers who would back his challenges, according to The Times. Trump is also incensed that the Supreme Court, including his three nominees, did not intervene in his favor to overturn the election…

Wednesday, September 20, 2023

Sen. Whitehouse: 'Very possible illegal conduct' in billionaires' SCOTUS gifts

Report: Leonard Leo is at the core of the Alabama redistricting dispute

A new report indicates that the driving force behind this campaign of defiance is likely Leonard Leo, the billionaire Catholic fundamentalist who has reshaped the Supreme Court through his vast dark-money network and the organization he co-chairs, The Federalist Society... 

 … What is clear is that strands of Leo's web of dark money are at work here, with the goal of eradicating the scraps of the Voting Rights Act that still exist. …

Friday, August 25, 2023

Rightwing activist Leonard Leo under investigation in Washington DC | Washington DC | The Guardian

Lizzy Price, of Accountable.US, said Leo was "a man who believes that unless he writes the rules, they don't apply to him. "While his handpicked justices are stripping Americans of their rights and brazenly violating ethics rules, Leo is cashing in on his activism. Whether it's the American judiciary or his own network of conservative organisations, Leo's disdain for ethics is constant."…

Wednesday, August 23, 2023

D.C. Attorney General is probing Leonard Leo’s network   - POLITICO

A number of the groups that receive contributions from Leo's "dark money" network, in turn, hold sizable contracts with his firm, CRC Advisors. This includes the Federalist Society, the nation's preeminent conservative debating society where Leo was executive vice president and still serves as co-chairman. Among payments the complaint flagged to the IRS and DC attorney general is $3.1 million which the Federalist Society paid to CRC between 2020 and 2021 for "media training."…

Monday, June 26, 2023

The Captured Court Emerges (Senator Sheldon Whitehouse; Making the Case podcast)

When most people think about the current Supreme Court, one of the first names that comes to mind is Donald Trump, who appointed three of its Justices. But there's another name that's arguably more important. And that is the right-wing billionaires’ fixer, Leonard Leo. 

In this episode, Senator Whitehouse is once again joined by Rep. Hank Johnson, Slate’s Dahlia Lithwick, and Lisa Graves of True North Research to discuss the recent history of the right-wing scheme to capture the Court.
Interview: 


Monday, March 6, 2023

Dark money and special deals: How Leonard Leo and his friends benefited from his judicial activism - POLITICO

The Federalist Society co-chairman's lifestyle took a lavish turn after he became Donald Trump's adviser on judicial nominations... 

The 57-year-old Leo has been depicted in news reports as a deeply religious man driven by his personal and spiritual beliefs, mainly his Catholic faith. He attends mass daily… 

But Leo's close relationship with the Thomases raises questions about his access to other justices he campaigned for, now that they are issuing the rulings his donors desire, said Kyle Herrig, president of Accountable.US, a non-partisan progressive group that investigates corporate influence in politics...



Sunday, September 18, 2022

Interview with Andrew Seidel, author of "American Crusade" (Hemant Mehta; Friendly Atheist podcast, episode 444)

Hemant spoke with Andrew Seidel about Christian Nationalism, how to fight back against the Supreme Court, and the Court's current legitimacy crisis.

Andrew Seidel is the Vice President of Strategic Communications for Americans United for Separation of Church and State and the author of "The Founding Myth: Why Christian Nationalism Is Un-American." He's written and spoken extensively about these issues in a variety of online and print publications, and on several news shows.

His latest book, out this month, is called "American Crusade: How the Supreme Court is Weaponizing Religious Freedom."

0:00 Intro
1:08 How did you write a book about the Supreme Court when the Court kept issuing new, harmful rulings? (An update to the book can be found here: https://andrewlseidel.com/moreac/)
3:24 What church/state barriers are next to fall?
8:09 Is the Federalist Society a Christian organization?
13:37 Why isn't there a liberal equivalent to the Federalist Society?
15:14 SPONSOR: https://www.expressvpn.com/friendlyatheist
16:34 Is the Supreme Court helping or hurting the country?
18:40 Is there one justice whose presence is ultra-crusade-y?
21:04 Should we care about the details of Amy Coney Barrett's faith?
24:16 What impact will Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson have on this Court?
25:45 What would be the best way to fight back against this activist Court?
33:45 What does success mean for you when it comes to readers of "American Crusade"?
42:10 What do you say to future lawyers who care about church/state issues?
Interview: 


Saturday, March 14, 2020

Senators demand records on dark money ties to court appointments — Quartz

Last week, five Democratic senators sent disturbing missives to three Trump administration officials about secret forces transforming the US courts and about one very powerful American lawyer in particular, Leonard Leo. You may know Leo’s name if you’re steeped in the dramas of politics and law or were paying attention to the Supreme Court nominations of Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh, which he helped orchestrate. He is co-chair of the conservative and libertarian legal advocacy group known as the Federalist Society, an organization recently described in the New York Times as “a juggernaut for propelling the courts to the right.” ....
https://qz.com/1816542/senators-demand-records-on-dark-money-ties-to-court-appointments/








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