On February 13, 2016, Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia died of apparent natural causes at a luxury resort in West Texas, creating a vacancy on the Court with nearly 11 months remaining in President Obama’s term. Within hours of Scalia’s death being announced, Senate Majority Leader …
Crow company purchases properties from Thomas and relatives for $133,363 including house where Thomas’s mother lives, marking first known direct money transfer from donor to justice
Clarence ThomasHarlan CrowLeola Williams (Thomas's mother)Crow Holdingsjudicial-capturesupreme-courtreal-estateundisclosed-transactionsfinancial-corruption+1 more
In Republic of Argentina v. NML Capital (2014), the Supreme Court held that the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act does not bar post‑judgment discovery into a foreign sovereign’s assets, facilitating creditor collection efforts including by Paul Singer’s NML Capital. Justice Samuel Alito …
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Former Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell and his wife Maureen were indicted on 14 counts of fraud and conspiracy by a federal grand jury, making McDonnell the first Virginia governor to be indicted or convicted of a felony. The charges stemmed from their acceptance of more than $175,000 in gifts, …
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The Supreme Court’s 5-4 decision in Shelby County v. Holder struck down Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act, which required federal preclearance for voting changes in states with histories of discrimination. Chief Justice Roberts argued the formula was outdated, while Justice Ginsburg warned it …
Chief Justice John RobertsJustice Ruth Bader GinsburgTexas Attorney General Greg AbbottShelby County, AlabamaAttorney General Eric Holdervoting-rightssupreme-courtvoter-suppressioncivil-rightselectoral-manipulation+1 more
The Supreme Court strikes down Section 4(b) of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 in a 5-4 decision, effectively nullifying Section 5’s preclearance requirement that prevented jurisdictions with histories of racial discrimination from changing voting laws without federal approval. Chief Justice …
The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, fundamentally transforming American campaign finance by allowing corporations and unions to spend unlimited amounts on elections. The decision struck down key provisions of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act, ruling that …
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Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that corporations can spend unlimited amounts on elections through independent expenditures, enabling creation of Super PACs and dark money networks. The decision dramatically reshaped campaign finance, allowing corporations and unions to spend unlimited funds on independent …
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The Supreme Court issues its landmark 5-4 decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, fundamentally reshaping American campaign finance law by allowing unlimited corporate and union spending in federal elections. The case originated from the conservative organization Citizens …
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Crow starts paying roughly $6,200 monthly tuition for Mark Martin, whom Thomas was raising as a son, at elite boarding schools totaling approximately $100,000 in undisclosed gifts
Clarence ThomasHarlan CrowMark MartinHidden Lake AcademyRandolph-Macon Academyjudicial-capturesupreme-courtundisclosed-giftsfamily-benefitseducation-payments+1 more
Justice Samuel Alito accepts private jet flight worth over $100,000 and luxury lodge stay from hedge fund billionaire Paul Singer who later has business before the court, violating disclosure requirements
Samuel AlitoPaul SingerLeonard LeoRobin Arkley IIjudicial-capturesupreme-courtundisclosed-giftsethics-violationluxury-travel+1 more
In Cheney v. United States District Court, the Supreme Court rules 7-2 to protect the secrecy of Vice President Cheney’s Energy Task Force meetings with oil executives. The Court vacates a lower court order requiring disclosure of task force participants and documents, ruling that federal …
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Justice Clarence Thomas begins a two-decade pattern of accepting luxury yacht vacations and private jet trips from billionaire GOP donor Harlan Crow without disclosure, violating Supreme Court ethics standards. Senate investigations revealed nearly $4.2 million in undisclosed gifts, including …
Clarence ThomasHarlan CrowRochelle Charter (Crow's yacht company)judicial-capturesupreme-courtundisclosed-giftsethics-violationluxury-travel+1 more
The Supreme Court issued a controversial 5-4 decision in Bush v. Gore that effectively awarded Florida’s 25 electoral votes to Republican candidate George W. Bush, ensuring his victory over Al Gore. The unsigned per curiam decision reversed a Florida Supreme Court request for a selective …
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By the year 2000, sophisticated legal strategies emerge revealing how corporate political action committees (PACs) systematically exploit legal loopholes from the Buckley v. Valeo Supreme Court decision. Wealthy donors and industry actors develop intricate mechanisms to circumvent campaign finance …
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In April 1982, three Yale Law School alumni – Steven Calabresi, David McIntosh, and Lee Liberman Otis – founded the Federalist Society at a pivotal moment in conservative legal thought. Their inaugural conference, funded by the Institute for Educational Affairs and John M. Olin Foundation, featured …
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Following the Buckley v. Valeo decision, corporations rapidly established Political Action Committees to influence elections. The number of corporate PACs grew from 89 in 1974 to 1,206 by 1980 - a 1,254% increase. This represented a systematic corporate mobilization to capture political influence, …
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The Supreme Court ruled in Buckley v. Valeo that spending money on elections is a form of free speech protected by the First Amendment. While upholding contribution limits, the decision struck down expenditure limits, creating a fundamental asymmetry that would enable unlimited corporate influence …
In a landmark constitutional law decision, the Supreme Court ruled in Buckley v. Valeo that political expenditures constitute a form of speech protected by the First Amendment, fundamentally transforming campaign finance jurisprudence. The Court established a critical distinction between campaign …
Justice Lewis Powell joins the Supreme Court’s landmark decision in Buckley v. Valeo (424 U.S. 1), which fundamentally reshaped campaign finance law by equating money with political speech. The Court upheld contribution limits to prevent corruption while striking down expenditure limitations …
Lewis F. Powell Jr.Supreme CourtFederal Election Campaign Actbuckley-v.-valeocampaign-financemoney-as-speechpolitical-expenditurespowell-blueprint-implementation+2 more
In the landmark Buckley v. Valeo decision, the Supreme Court fundamentally reshaped campaign finance law by ruling that expenditure limits are unconstitutional. The Court distinguished between direct campaign contributions and independent expenditures, creating a legal framework that would enable …
On August 23, 1971, Lewis F. Powell Jr. delivered his confidential memorandum ‘Attack on American Free Enterprise System’ to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, providing a strategic blueprint for corporate political mobilization. The 34-page document outlined a comprehensive strategy for …
Lewis F. Powell Jr.Eugene B. Sydnor Jr.U.S. Chamber of CommerceJack AndersonRichard Nixonregulatory-capturecorporate-influencethink-tank-strategyconservative-movementbusiness-activism+2 more
Lewis Powell mailed a confidential, strategic memorandum titled ‘Attack On American Free Enterprise System’ to Eugene B. Sydnor Jr. at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The document outlined a systematic plan for corporations to defend and expand their power by capturing courts, academia, …
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