Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that presidents have absolute immunity from criminal prosecution for acts within their “core constitutional powers,” presumptive immunity for “official acts” within the outer perimeter of their responsibilities, and no immunity for unofficial acts. …
Supreme CourtChief Justice John RobertsJustice Clarence ThomasJustice Samuel AlitoJustice Neil Gorsuch+9 moresupreme-courtjudicial-capturepresidential-powerrule-of-lawauthoritarian-consolidation+2 more
Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that the First Amendment’s Free Speech Clause prohibits states from enforcing anti-discrimination laws against businesses providing “expressive” services when doing so would compel speech that violates the owner’s religious beliefs. Justice Gorsuch …
Supreme CourtJustice Neil GorsuchChief Justice John RobertsJustice Clarence ThomasJustice Samuel Alito+11 moresupreme-courtjudicial-capturelgbtq-rightsreligious-rightcivil-rights+2 more
Supreme Court ruled 6-3 (Harvard) and 6-2 (UNC) that race-conscious admissions policies at Harvard and University of North Carolina violate the Equal Protection Clause, effectively ending affirmative action in higher education nationwide. Chief Justice Roberts authored the majority opinion, joined …
Supreme CourtChief Justice John RobertsJustice Clarence ThomasJustice Samuel AlitoJustice Neil Gorsuch+11 moresupreme-courtjudicial-capturecivil-rightseducationracial-justice+1 more
Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that the EPA lacked authority under the Clean Air Act to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from power plants through generation shifting, formally establishing the “major questions doctrine” for the first time by name in a majority opinion. Chief Justice Roberts …
Supreme CourtChief Justice John RobertsJustice Clarence ThomasJustice Samuel AlitoJustice Neil Gorsuch+9 moreclimate-changesupreme-courtjudicial-capturederegulationadministrative-state+2 more
The Supreme Court rules 5-4 in Epic Systems Corp. v. Lewis that employers can require workers to sign mandatory arbitration agreements waiving their right to join class action lawsuits over wage theft, discrimination, or other labor law violations. Justice Neil Gorsuch—a Federalist Society member …
Supreme CourtNeil GorsuchFederalist SocietyCorporate employersWorkerslabor-suppressionsupreme-courtarbitrationclass-actionjudicial-capture+1 more
The Federalist Society, funded by $250 million in dark money from anonymous donors, orchestrated the most systematic judicial capture in U.S. history. Trump outsourced judicial selection to the Society, appointing 231 federal judges including 3 Supreme Court justices, all from their pre-approved …
During the 2016 campaign, Donald Trump made a pivotal strategic commitment to outsource Supreme Court nominee selection entirely to the Federalist Society, a move that would fundamentally reshape the federal judiciary. In March 2016, Trump, campaign lawyer Don McGahn, and Federalist Society …
Donald TrumpLeonard LeoDon McGahnNeil GorsuchBrett Kavanaugh+3 moretrump-judicial-nomineesfederalist-society-vettingleonard-leosupreme-court-outsourcingjudicial-capture+2 more
Richard Mellon Scaife, the billionaire heir to the Mellon banking and aluminum fortune who became the most important financial architect of the modern conservative movement, died on July 4, 2014, one day after his 82nd birthday, after a battle with cancer. Scaife’s death marked the end of a …
Richard ScaifeSarah Scaife FoundationCarthage FoundationAllegheny FoundationHeritage Foundation+5 moredark-moneyconservative-movementheritage-foundationfederalist-societystate-policy-network+5 more
Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that aggregate limits on total contributions an individual can make to federal candidates, parties, and PACs over a two-year election cycle violate the First Amendment. Chief Justice Roberts authored the majority opinion, joined by Justices Scalia, Kennedy, and Alito, with …
Supreme CourtChief Justice John RobertsShaun McCutcheonRepublican National CommitteeJustice Anthony Kennedy+5 morecampaign-financedark-moneysupreme-courtjudicial-capturecorporate-power+2 more
Comprehensive organizational analysis reveals DonorsTrust and Donors Capital Fund as the central infrastructure for conservative dark money operations, earning designation as ‘Dark Money ATM of The Right.’ Founded in 1999 by Whitney Lynn Ball and Kimberly Dennis (both from Philanthropy …
DonorsTrustDonors Capital FundWhitney Lynn BallKimberly DennisLawson Bader+5 moreorganizational-profiledark-moneydonor-advised-fundanonymity-infrastructurekoch-network+4 more
The Federalist Society, flagship legal institution of Powell Memorandum judicial capture strategy, establishes systematic coordination with WHIG operations to provide legal justification infrastructure for crisis-accelerated implementation of executive power expansion objectives. This coordination …
Federalist SocietyJohn YooJay BybeeSteven CalabresiWhite House Iraq Group+5 morepowell-memorandum-accelerationfederalist-society-coordinationwhig-legal-justificationcrisis-judicial-captureconstitutional-reinterpretation-acceleration+4 more
The complete Powell Memorandum institutional network—including American Enterprise Institute, Cato Institute, Hoover Institution, Federalist Society, and coordinated corporate media—establishes systematic coordination with WHIG operations for crisis-accelerated implementation of institutional …
American Enterprise InstituteCato InstituteHoover InstitutionFederalist SocietyWhite House Iraq Group+5 morepowell-memorandum-accelerationinstitutional-network-coordinationwhig-think-tank-mergercrisis-exploitation-infrastructuresystematic-capture-acceleration+4 more
The United States Senate rejected President Reagan’s nomination of Robert Bork to the Supreme Court by a vote of 42-58 on October 23, 1987, marking the first time in nearly a century that the Senate rejected a Supreme Court nominee primarily on the basis of ideology rather than qualifications …
Robert BorkRonald ReaganEdward KennedyLewis PowellAnthony Kennedy+4 moresupreme-courtjudicial-capturefederalist-societyconservative-movementantitrust-abandonment+3 more
Comprehensive organizational analysis reveals the Federalist Society as the most successful judicial capture mechanism in American history, systematically placing conservative judges throughout the federal judiciary through a three-division structure spanning law schools, practicing attorneys, and …
Federalist SocietyLeonard LeoSteven CalabresiDavid McIntoshLee Liberman Otis+9 moreorganizational-profilejudicial-capturedark-moneylegal-movementsupreme-court+3 more
President Ronald Reagan appointed Robert Bork to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit on February 9, 1982, elevating the author of “The Antitrust Paradox” to the federal bench widely considered the nation’s second-most important court. Bork’s …
Robert BorkRonald ReaganDC Circuit Court of AppealsFederalist SocietyDepartment of Justice Antitrust Division+1 morejudicial-captureantitrust-abandonmentchicago-schoolfederalist-societyconservative-movement+3 more