Christopher Lehmann-Haupt, a respected daily reviewer—“Books of The Times: Peering Behind the Anita Hill-Clarence Thomas Matter,” New York Times, April 26, 1993.
A reviewer in the Sunday Times—“The Case Against Anita Hill,” New York Times, May 23, 1993.
the Washington Post reviewer—“A Revisionist’s Nightmare,” Washington Post, June 10, 1993.
on the Wall Street Journal editorial page—“A Revisionist’s Nightmare,” Washington Post, June 10, 1993.
George Will column—“Anita Hill’s Tangled Web, Newsweek, April 18, 1993.
According to Gallup—“Gallup Vault: Anita Hill’s Charges Against Clarence Thomas,” Gallup News, September 21, 2018; “More People Believe Hill than Thomas, Poll Says,” Los Angeles Times, reprinted in Daily Oklahoman, October 11, 1992.
a bombshell report—“The Surreal Anita Hill,” The New Yorker, May 24, 1993.
dubbed “sleaze” by one New York Times columnist—“Opinion: Abroad at Home; Sleaze with Footnotes,” New York Times, May 21, 1993.
“He spoke about”—“Nomination of Judge Clarence Thomas to Be Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States,” United States Senate Judiciary Committee, Part 4, October 11, 12, 13, 1991.
“his own sexual prowess”—Ibid.
“Who put pubic hair on my Coke?”—Ibid.
Though he denies it—“Book Author Says He Lied in His Attacks on Anita Hill in Bid to Aid Justice Thomas,” New York Times, June 27, 2001.
“high-tech lynching for uppity blacks”—Ibid.
“an alien pubic hair”—Ibid.
“And now, I really am getting stuff”—Ibid.
private compromise deal—“Senators’ Private Deal Kept ‘2nd Woman’ Off TV: Thomas: Democrats Feared Republican Attacks on Angela Wright’s Public Testimony. Biden’s Handling of the Hearing Is Criticized,” Los Angeles Times, October 17, 1991.
“You look good”—“Nomination of Judge Clarence Thomas to Be Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States,” United States Senate Judiciary Committee, Part 4, October 11, 12, 13, 1991.
Hendrik Hertzberg put it in—“Can You Forgive Him?,” The New Yorker, March 3, 2002.
ProPublica revealed in 2023—“Clarence Thomas Had a Child in Private School. Harlan Crow Paid the Tuition,” ProPublica, May 4, 2023.
Paoletta, predictably, indulged—@ MarkPaoletta, X, May 4, 2023.
Paoletta is depicted—“Clarence Thomas and the Billionaire,” ProPublica, April 6, 2023.
ProPublica put it in an August 2023 report—“Clarence Thomas’ 38 Vacations: The Other Billionaires Who Have Treated the Supreme Court Justice to Luxury Travel,” ProPublica, August 10, 2023.
A July 2023 Washington Post report revealed—“Influential Activist Leonard Leo Helped Fund Media Campaign Lionizing Clarence Thomas,” Washington Post, July 20, 2023.
“Justice Thomas: The most open”—Ibid.
in a letter to HBO’s president—Ibid.
shows a relaxed, relatable version—“Clarence Thomas and the Billionaire,” ProPublica.
Here was the August 2023 headline—“Clarence Thomas’s $267,230 R.V. and the Friend Who Financed It,” New York Times, August 5, 2023.
The Prevost Le Mirage XL Marathon—Ibid.
Thomas gave a speech to a Goldwater Institute dinner—Goldwater Awards Dinner, November 19, 1999.
By September 2022, Gallup was showing—“Views of Supreme Court Remain Near Record Lows,” Gallup, September 29, 2023.
according to a March 2023 Marquette University poll—“New Marquette Law School Poll National Survey Finds Continued General Trend of Lower Public Approval of Work of U.S. Supreme Court,” Marquette University Press Release, March 24, 2023. “In the current survey, 33 percent favor the June 2022 decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, overturning Roe v. Wade, while 67 percent oppose that ruling.”
Women of childbearing age—“How Christian Nationalism Perverted the Judicial System and Gutted Our Rights,” The New Republic, May 10, 2022.
The vagaries of elections—Ibid.
Yet moving forward—“How the Supreme Court Conservative ‘Supermajority’ Is Changing the Country,” CNN, June 5, 2023.
“Clarence Thomas is an outlaw and a liar”—“David Brock Believed in Clarence Thomas. Now He Wants Him Impeached,” Huffington Post, September 16, 2022.
Speaking in Arizona in 1999—Goldwater Awards Dinner, November 19, 1999.
New York Times reporter Nan Robertson—New York Times News Service, “Pat Nixon Entertains 4,702 Republican Women: Girdle-to-Girdle in the East Room,” Louisville Courier-Journal, April 16, 1969.
inspiring this prediction in a newspaper—“Blair Grad Is Top Clerk-Typist,” Omaha World-Herald, June 21, 1974.
“Warrior woman: Ginni Lamp.”—Westside High School Yearbook, Omaha, Nebraska, 1975, page 47. Via Ancestry.com database.
Thompson made his name—“Presenting: The Richard Nixon Doll (Overhauled 1968 Model),” July 1968, Pageant. Reprinted in Hunter S. Thompson, The Great Shark Hunt: Strange Tales from a Strange Time (Summit Books), 185.
memo, marked “CONFIDENTIAL”—“The Memo, by Lewis Powell,” Washington and Lee Archives.
as explained in a Fortune magazine article—“Nader: An Assessment,” Fortune, May 1971.
As the senator explained—Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, “The Scheme 1: The Powell Memo,” May 27, 2021.
Jack Anderson, remarking—“Powell’s Lesson to Business Aired,” Washington Post, September 28, 1972.
As Sheldon Whitehouse connected the dots—Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, “The Scheme 2: Powell on the Court,” June 8, 2021.
“I don’t feel defiant”—Archibold Cox, “Saturday Night Massacre” Press Conference, October 20, 1973.
“Your Commander-in-Chief”—“The End Begins,” New York Times, October 22, 1973.
article headlined—“Free Enterprise Radicals Score Federal Control,” New York Times, May 29, 1970.
“I was thinking of resigning”—“Bork Irked by Emphasis on His Role in Watergate,” New York Times, July 2, 1987.
Nixon praised Bork—“President Welcomes Saxbe to the Cabinet,” New York Times, December 19, 1973.
McConnell gushed in his memoir—Mitch McConnell, The Long Game: A Memoir (Sentinel, 2016).
“kind of America we want”—“McConnell, Grimes Face Off,” Politico, August 3, 2013.
“In many ways, Archbishop Lefebvre is a man”—“Man in the News: Marcel Lefebvre; A Devotion to the Past,” New York Times, July 1, 1988.
“He was born on Nov. 29, 1905”—Ibid.
“Vatican II was a sound defeat”—Massimo Faggioli, Vatican II: The Battle for Meaning (Paulist Press, 2012).
“The parallel I have drawn”—Marcel Lefebvre, Open Letter to Confused Catholics (Angelus Press, 1986).
“defiance of Pope John Paul II”—“Archbishop Lefebvre, 85, Dies; Traditionalist Defied the Vatican,” New York Times, March 26, 1991.
issued a pastoral letter—United Press International, “Bishops in Puerto Rico Forbid Support of Marín,” Buffalo News, October 21, 1960. Accessed via newspapers.com.
At San Juan Cathedral—United Press International, “Church Order Not to Vote for Marín’s Party Splits Puerto Rico: Archbishop Booed,” Evansville Press, October 24, 1960. Accessed via newspapers.com.
In the city of Arecibo—Ibid.
Archbishop Davis—“Gave No Thought to U.S.—Archbishop,” Press and Sun-Bulletin, Binghamton (New York), October 29, 1960. Accessed via newspapers.com.
“Catholic life in Puerto Rico”—Ibid.
The New York Times reported from Madrid—“Franco-Pretender Rift Feared by Monarchists,” New York Times, reprinted in Des Moines Register, January 4, 1960. Accessed via newspapers.com.
“My decisions on every public policy”—“Acceptance of Democratic Nomination for President,” John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum.
Protestant leaders—“Religion Unknown Element in Election,” Catholic Times, November 11, 1960. Accessed via newspapers.com.
It took a strong performance in Houston—John F. Kennedy Address to the Greater Houston Ministerial Association, September 12, 1960.
Drew Pearson explained in his syndicated column—“Puerto Rico Bishops Hurt Kennedy Drive,” reprinted in Muncie (Indiana) Star Press, November 6, 1960. Accessed via newspapers.com.
Theodore White, in The Making of the President 1960—Theodore White, The Making of the President 1960 (Atheneum, 1961).
A New Yorker “Letter from Madrid”—“A Letter from Madrid,” The New Yorker, November 12, 1960.
Deal W. Hudson, a former chair—Deal W. Hudson, Onward, Christian Soldiers: The Growing Political Power of Catholics and Evangelicals in the United States (Threshold Editions, 2010).
As Robert Hutchison wrote—Robert Hutchison, Their Kingdom Come: Inside the Secret World of Opus Dei (Thomas Dunne Books, 2006).
Opus Dei member John McCloskey—“An Opus Dei Priest with a Magnetic Touch,” New York Times, June 12, 2015.
where, according to published reports—“ ‘Quite a Shock’: The Priest Was a D.C. Luminary. Then He Had a Disturbing Fall from Grace,” Washington Post, January 14, 2019.
which has included Leonard Leo—“Leonard Leo Has Reshaped the Supreme Court. Is He Reshaping Catholic University Too?,” National Catholic Reporter, December 15, 2022.
He referred to Roe v. Wade—“Abuse of Discretion: The Inside Story of Roe v. Wade,” National Catholic Register, January 2014.
Pro-choice views are the result of—Ibid.
Homosexuality, in McCloskey’s view—John McCloskey, “Homosexuality and the American Public Life,” book review at https://www.catholicity.com/mccloskey/homosexuality.html.
McCloskey eventually had to leave Washington—“Opus Dei Paid $977,000 to Settle Sexual Misconduct Claim Against Prominent Catholic Priest,” Washington Post, January 7, 2019.
One exception that seemed to pierce the code—“Washington’s Quiet Club,” Newsweek, March 8, 2001.
“Scalia is regarded as the embodiment”—Ibid.
In many ways, Leo was the heir—“How the Christian Right Took Over the Judiciary and Changed America,” The Guardian, June 25, 2022.
both of whom have received awards—“The Benedict Leadership Award,” Benedictine Leadership Institute.
“A majority of the Supreme Court”—“2022 John Paul II New Evangelization Award Leonard Leo Remarks,” Catholic Information Center, November 22, 2022.
gave a speech at Yale Law School—“Review Essay: Brock’s Word Against Hers,” Yale Journal of Law and Feminism 5 (1993).
“I sense that we are at one”—“The Weekend at Yale That Changed American Politics,” Politico Magazine, September/October 2018.
first conjured by Bork in a 1971 treatise—“Neutral Principles and Some First Amendment Problems,” Indiana Law Journal 47, no. 1 (Fall 1971).
Bork, the AP reported—“Bork Nominated for High Court; Senate Fight Looms: Favorite of Hard-Line Right Wing,” Los Angeles Times, July 1, 1987.
Bork went on to argue—“Yale Is a Host to 2 Meetings About Politics,” New York Times, May 2, 1982.
“While there now exist”—Steven M. Teles, The Rise of the Conservative Legal Movement: The Battle for Control of the Law (Princeton University Press, 2010).
“Conservatives have long bemoaned”—Ibid.
Steven M. Teles, author of—Ibid.
“Do you share a judicial philosophy”—“Confirmation Hearings on Federal Appointments,” United States Senate Judiciary Committee, July 11, August 22, August 27, September 13, October 4, 2001.
Leo himself is on record—“Ep 80: Leonard Leo Knows How to Win and How to Save Our Country,” American Optimist Podcast, March 7, 2024.
wrote this account—United Features, “Reagan’s ‘Trickle-Down’ Justice,” Memphis Commercial Appeal, September 19, 1988. Accessed via newspapers.com.
“My grandfather was a very hard worker”—“Inside the Mind of Leonard Leo, Trump’s Supreme Court Right-Hand Man,” Washington Examiner, January 28, 2018.
“When you’re that age”—“We Don’t Talk About Leonard: Episode 1, Part 2, ‘Most Likely to Succeed,’ ” On the Media, WNYC, September 29, 2023.
1983 edition of the Monroe Township High yearbook—“We Don’t Talk About Leonard: The Man Behind the Right’s Supreme Court Supermajority,” ProPublica, October 11, 2023.
a gifted educator—“The Case of Jeremy Rabkin,” Cornell Daily Sun, March 26, 2007.
“Ten years after Watergate”—As quoted in R. Emmett Tyrrell, “A Decision to Treat Freedom Frivolously,” Indianapolis Star, June 1, 1983. Accessed via newspapers.com.
“Few legal scholars these days”—“The Charismatic Constitution,” The Public Interest, Fall 1983.
Rabkin, inverting reality—“High Court Nonsense,” The American Spectator, December 1984.
Working with Rabkin as his advisor—“Inside the Mind of Leonard Leo, Trump’s Supreme Court Right-Hand Man,” Washington Examiner.
interned for the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee—Ibid.
“In recent decades many have come to view”—“The Great Debate: Attorney General Ed Meese III—November 15, 1985,” Speech by Attorney General Edwin Meese III Before the Federalist Society Lawyers Division, November 15, 1985.
“That speech had an enormous impact”—“Inside the Mind of Leonard Leo, Trump’s Supreme Court Right-Hand Man,” Washington Examiner.
he founded one himself in 1989—Ibid.
“every single federal judge”—Michael Avery, The Federalist Society: How Conservatives Took the Law Back from Liberals (Vanderbilt University Press, 2013).
One email from inside the Bush White House—Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, “The Scheme 5: The Federalist Society,” July 27, 2021.
“focusing on key recent decisions”—Amanda Hollis-Brusky, Ideas with Consequences: The Federalist Society and the Conservative Counterrevolution (Oxford University Press, 2015).
whom Thomas has called—“Judicial Activist Directed Fees to Clarence Thomas’s Wife, Urged ‘No Mention of Ginni,’ ” Washington Post, May 4, 2023.
According to Sheldon Whitehouse—Whitehouse, “The Scheme 5: The Federalist Society.”
“its choice of federal judges”—“How the CNP, a Republican Powerhouse, Helped Spawn Trumpism, Disrupted the Transfer of Power, and Stoked the Assault on the Capitol,” Washington Spectator, February 22, 2021.
The group was a key player—“Conservatives Call on State Legislators to Appoint New Electors, in Accordance with the Constitution,” Conservative Action Project, December 10, 2020.
In 2005 and 2006, JCN took in—“The JCN Story: How to Build a Secretive, Right-Wing Judicial Machine,” Daily Beast, April 14, 2017.
the special interest funds available—“Leonard Leo’s Court Capture Web Raised Nearly $600 Million Before Biden Won,” True North Research, March 22, 2022; Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, “Scheme 18: Leonard Leo’s $1.6 Billion Payday,” September 13, 2022.
and also funneled cash to antigay groups—“How Abortion Pills Became the Target of Leonard Leo’s Post-Roe Agenda,” Accountable.us, August 25, 2023.
Leo’s groups also pushed voter suppression laws—“The Honest Elections Project’s Attack on Voting Rights,” Documented, May 8, 2023.
According to Politico, $43 million—“Dark Money and Special Deals: How Leonard Leo and His Friends Benefited from His Judicial Activism,” Politico, March 1, 2023.
He has also come under investigation—“D.C. Attorney General Is Probing Leonard Leo’s Network,” Politico, August 22, 2023.
“Since 2016,” Politico reported—“Dark Money and Special Deals,” Politico.
Federalist Society president Eugene Meyer—“Federalist Society for Law & Public Policy Studies,” Form 990 for fiscal year ending September 2022. Accessed via ProPublica.
Just days prior to the publishing of—“What Ginni Thomas and Leonard Leo Wrought: How a Justice’s Wife and a Key Activist Started a Movement,” Politico, September 10, 2023.
Harlan Crow, the billionaire who gave—Ibid.
Leo joined the board—“Judicial Activist Directed Fees to Clarence Thomas’s Wife,” Washington Post, May 4, 2023.
Ginni quit Liberty Central—Ibid.
In an email sent to the offices—Author in possession of email.
reported here exclusively—Author in possession of email.
Liberty Consulting was propped up—“What Ginni Thomas and Leonard Leo Wrought,” Politico, September 10, 2023.
The money flowed to Ginni—Ibid.
With Ginni on the payroll—Ibid.
JEP also filed a brief contending—Ibid.
In another shady transaction—“Judicial Activist Directed Fees to Clarence Thomas’s Wife,” Washington Post, May 4, 2023.
Ultimately more than 100K—Ibid.
In 2021, she signed a CAP letter—“Conservative Leaders: Remove Cheney and Kinzinger from House Republican Conference,” Conservative Action Project, December 15, 2021.
They met at an affirmative action conference—“Excerpt: Affirmative Action Conference: Toward a Color-Blind Society, Convened by the Anti-Defamation League of B’nai B’rith, 1986. Remarks of Clarence Thomas, chairman of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission,” Kansas City Times, June 13, 1986. Accessed via newspapers.com.
publisher Richard Viguerie lauded Thomas—“Taking a Close (and Critical) Look at Reagan’s Cabinet Choices: His New Right Supporters Are Disappointed,” Los Angeles Times, December 21, 1980. Accessed via newspapers.com.
At a “black alternatives” conference—“Blacks Boost Conservatism,” Washington Post, reprinted in Hartford Courant, January 1, 1981. Accessed via newspapers.com.
Thomas’s appointment to the top civil rights job—“U.S. Weakening on Rights Charged,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, May 17, 1981. Accessed via newspapers.com.
Midge Decter, a leading neo-conservative—“Q & A: Clarence Thomas,” C-SPAN, October 3, 2007.
Thomas at one point—Clarence Thomas, My Grandfather’s Son: A Memoir (Harper, 2007).
As the Associated Press reported—Associated Press, “Commission Stirs New ‘Comparable Worth’ Argument,” Odessa (Texas) American, June 18, 1985. Accessed via newspapers.com.
Much of the humor in the movie comes from—Short Circuit, script.
Thomas loved the movie—Thomas, My Grandfather’s Son.
“The damn vacation is over!”—Ibid.
Soon after the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. was murdered—“Judge Portrayed as a Product of Ideals Clashing with Life,” New York Times, July 3, 1991.
As current Holy Cross president Vincent D. Rougeau wrote—“Clarence Thomas Was a Beneficiary of Race-Based Admissions at My School,” Boston Globe, May 29, 2023.
Thomas is quoted as saying in Diane Brady’s book—Diane Brady, Fraternity: In 1968, a Visionary Priest Recruited 20 Black Men to the College of the Holy Cross and Changed Their Lives and the Course of History (Spiegel & Grau, 2012).
Thomas attempted to claim—“Justice Thomas Scorns Media, Affirmative Action in Interview,” Los Angeles Times, March 3, 2007.
At Holy Cross, Thomas “often dressed”—“Roots of a Conservative,” Atlanta Constitution, February 23, 1990. Accessed via newspapers.com.
In a 1983 speech—“Thomas Once Praised Farrakhan in Speech: Judiciary: Court Nominee Says He Repudiates Anti-Semitic Views Later Attributed to Nation of Islam Leader,” Los Angeles Times, July 13, 1991.
Among the points—“Clarence Thomas’ Radical Vision of Race,” The New Yorker, September 10, 2019.
Thomas was a hard-liner on the issue—Ibid.
“Looking out of a window”—Kevin Merida and Michael Fletcher, Supreme Discomfort: The Divided Soul of Clarence Thomas (Crown, 2008).
Later, Thomas would look back and say—Created Equal: Clarence Thomas in His Own Words, video documentary, January 31, 2020.
As the New York Times rather bluntly spelled out—“On Thomas’s Climb, Ambivalence About Issue of Affirmative Action,” New York Times, July 14, 1991.
As civil rights giant Rosa Parks herself said—“Thomas’ Rulings Show a Man of Integrity,” Baltimore Sun, November 17, 1996.
Longtime Washington columnist Carl Rowan went further—Carl Rowan, Dream Makers, Dream Breakers: The World of Justice Thurgood Marshall (Welcome Rain Publishers, 2002).
at one point William Bradford Reynolds—Merida and Fletcher, Supreme Discomfort.
In 1967, Marjorie Lamp was so headstrong—“3 Nebraska Clubs Quit GOP Women’s Group,” Omaha World Record, May 26, 1987. Accessed via newspapers.com.
“Her parents were the roots”—“Is Ginni Thomas a Threat to the Supreme Court?,” The New Yorker, January 21, 2022.
Then in February 1972—“Mrs. Virginia Lamp Files for Legislature,” Omaha World-Herald, February 15, 1972. Accessed via newspapers.com.
A Fremont Tribune article on her race—“Year of Women Sets Pace for New Valley Politician,” Fremont Tribune, September 13, 1972. Accessed via newspapers.com.
She warned that if Georgia governor Jimmy Carter—“Valley Delegate: President Nice, but Not Qualified,” Fremont Tribune, July 10, 1976. Accessed via newspapers.com.
In 1980, as a twenty-three-year-old law student—“District 2, Vote for 8, All from Omaha Unless Otherwise Stated, Reagan,” Lincoln Journal Star, May 11, 1980. Accessed via newspapers.com.
Ginni finished second—“Leonard Peterson One of GOP Leading Convention Delegates,” Alliance (Nebraska) Times-Herald, May 14, 1980. Accessed via newspapers.com.
“She was exuberant, enthusiastic”—“The Nominee’s Soul Mate,” Washington Post, September 10, 1991.
In February 1985 a poll was published—“Poll Backs Comparable Worth,” Billings Gazette, February 13, 1985. Accessed via newspapers.com.
Ginni was honored in the July 1986 issue—Good Housekeeping, July 1986.
On July 6, 1981—“Monday, July 6, 1981,” Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute.
O’Connor had cast a vote in the Arizona legislature—Linda Greenhouse, Becoming Justice Blackmun: Harry Blackmun’s Supreme Court Journey (Times Books, 2005).
Scalia slipped through, too—“Antonin Scalia, of Virginia, to Be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, vice William H. Rehnquist,” Congress.gov.
firing Archibald Cox—“Nixon Forces Firing of Cox; Richardson, Ruckelshaus Quit,” Washington Post, October 21, 1973.
as Federalist Society founder Steven Calabresi later admitted—Steven Michael Teles, The Rise of the Conservative Legal Movement: The Battle for Control of the Law (Princeton University Press, 2008).
Bork was on record as believing—“Federal Offense,” The New Republic, April 8, 2001.
supported poll taxes—“Bork Hearings Showed How Democracy Works; A Very Small Poll Tax,” New York Times, October 23, 1987.
literacy tests for voting—Ibid.
mandated school prayer—“ ‘Borking,’ Explained: Why a Failed Supreme Court Nomination in 1987 Matters,” Vox, September 27, 2018.
opposed the right to privacy that barred states—Ibid.
the use of contraceptives by married couples—“The Bork Hearings; Bork Is Assailed over Remarks on Contraceptive Ruling,” New York Times, September 19, 1987.
and rights protecting homosexual conduct—“U.S. Court Upholds Navy’s Discharge of a Homosexual,” New York Times, August 18, 1984.
He had ruled for a company against workers—“ ‘Borking,’ Explained,” Vox.
And in 1981, Bork had told Congress—“In Bork’s Words: Abortion, Death Penalty, Gay Rights,” New York Times, June 2, 1987.
Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts—“Robert Bork’s America,” C-SPAN, July 1, 1987.
was launched by People for the American Way—“1987 Gregory Peck Ad Against Robert Bork on SCOTUS,” C-SPAN, March 20, 2016.
When asked a softball question—“The Bork Hearings; An Intellectual Appetite,” New York Times, September 20, 1987.
In the words of The Washington Post—“In The End, Bork Himself Was His Own Worst Enemy,” Washington Post, October 24, 1987.
Adam Serwer lucidly summarized—“The Care and Feeding of Supreme Court Justices,” The Atlantic, October 3, 2023.
Texas author Bryan Burrough told NPR—“ ‘Forget the Alamo’ Author Says We Have the Texas Origin Story All Wrong,” National Public Radio, June 16, 2021.
The legacy of Bork—“Robert Bork’s Proud Legacy and the Senate’s Shameful One,” Wall Street Journal, August 31, 2018.
But the aggrieved right wing found it useful—“The Care and Feeding of Supreme Court Justices,” The Atlantic.
and he was confirmed—“Anthony M. Kennedy, of California, to Be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, vice Lewis F. Powell, Jr., Retired,” Congress.gov.
including, from 1993 to 1994—“Basketball, Popeyes, 2 Live Crew: The Year Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh Clerked for Anthony Kennedy,” USA Today, August 30, 2018.
David Margolick would write—“The Path to Florida,” Vanity Fair, October 2004.
Rudman, in his memoir, crowed—Warren Rudman, Combat: Twelve Years in the U.S. Senate (Random House, 1996).
he was celebrated on the front page—“Thurgood Marshall, Civil Rights Hero, Dies at 84,” New York Times, January 25, 1993.
wrote Louisville Courier-Journal columnist—“Thoroughly Good,” Louisville Courier-Journal, January 28, 1993. Accessed via newspapers.com.
Thomas had his intellectual pretensions—“7 Pols Who Praised Ayn Rand,” Politico, April 26, 2012.
In a 1984 interview, Thomas asserted—“EEOC Chairman Blasts Black Leaders,” Washington Post, October 25, 1984.
The Washington Post article announcing his nomination—“Bush Picks Thomas for Supreme Court,” Washington Post, July 2, 1991.
she spearheaded a noisy group—“Confirmation Bias,” Slate, April 7, 2016.
Thomas aced this assignment—“The President’s News Conference in Kennebunkport, Maine,” The American Presidency Project, presidency.ucsb.edu.
he immediately tried calling Ginni—“Bush Picks Thomas for Supreme Court,” Washington Post.
“wonderful sense of humor”—“Supreme Court Nomination Announcement,” C-SPAN, July 1, 1991.
“Only in America could this be possible”—Ibid.
the pair invited People magazine—“ ‘How We Survived,’ ” People, November 11, 1991.
Washington Post columnist Richard Cohen was excoriating—“What’s Thomas Doing in People Magazine?,” Washington Post, November 12, 1991.
Documents unearthed by The New York Times—“The Long Crusade of Clarence and Ginni Thomas,” New York Times Magazine, February 22, 2022.
according to documents obtained by Mother Jones—“Inside Groundswell: Read the Memos of the New Right-Wing Strategy Group Planning a ‘30 Front War,’ ” Mother Jones, July 25, 2013.
The Eagle Forum, which opposes abortion rights—“The Long Crusade of Clarence and Ginni Thomas,” New York Times Magazine.
Clarence Thomas has twice headlined—Ibid.
In September 2022, an analysis—“Revealed: Ginni Thomas’s Links to Anti-Abortion Groups Who Lobbied to Overturn Roe,” The Guardian, September 9, 2022.
in approaching the abortion issue—“Nomination of Judge Clarence Thomas to Be Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States,” United States Senate Judiciary Committee, Part 1, September 10, 11, 12, 13, 16, 1991.
Thomas had signed on to a White House working group—“Law and Natural Law: Questions for Judge Thomas,” Washington Post, September 8, 1991.
reporting on Starr’s nomination as solicitor general—“Appeals Judge Chosen by Bush to Be Solicitor,” New York Times, February 2, 1989.
as author Jan Crawford Greenburg described it—Jan Crawford Greenburg, Supreme Conflict: The Inside Story of the Struggle for Control of the United States Supreme Court (Penguin, 2008).
and the next day the attorney general—“How Bill Barr Kept Ken Starr Off the Supreme Court (Resulting in David Souter),” Reason, August 17, 2021.
The Arkansas Project—“Almost $2 Million Spent in Magazine’s Anti-Clinton Project, but on What?,” New York Times, April 15, 1998.
Scaife had run afoul of the law—“Scaife: Funding Father of the Right,” Washington Post, May 2, 1999.
An early funder—“Decades of Contributions to Conservatism,” Washington Post, May 2, 1999.
Olson secretly helped prepare—“The President’s Trial: The Lawsuit; Quietly, a Team of Lawyers Kept Paula Jones’s Case Alive,” New York Times, January 24, 1999.
I learned later that the troopers—Ibid.
including a rough-hewn former cop—David Brock, Blinded by the Right: The Conscience of an Ex-Conservative (Crown, 2002).
and an Arkansas bait-shop owner—“Justice Department Eyes the ‘Arkansas Project,’ ” The Observer, April 6, 1998.
caused the sale of the magazine—“The Life and Death of The American Spectator,” The Atlantic, November 2001.
which he founded on the campus—Ibid.
In 1997, he published—R. Emmett Tyrell Jr. & Anonymous, The Impeachment of William Jefferson Clinton (Regnery, 1997).
“If Nixon deserved impeachment”—R. Emmett Tyrrell Jr. and “Anonymous,” The Impeachment of William Jefferson Clinton: A Political Docu-Drama, Review, “Is Impeachment Practical? Judge Robert Bork’s Answer is YES.”
He was the son—“The Roots of Ken Starr’s Morality Plays,” Washington Post, March 2, 1998.
was a Democrat in college—Ibid.
because he had psoriasis—“Kenneth Starr, Lawyer Who Led the Drive to Impeach President Clinton over the ‘Zippergate’ Affair—Obituary,” The Telegraph, September 14, 2022.
Profiled as a high school senior—“Future Politician,” San Antonio Express-News, October 26, 1963. Accessed via newspapers.com.
as Timothy Clifford wrote—“He’s Used to Complex Cases,” New York Daily News, January 21, 1994. Accessed via newspapers.com.
Even Republican senator Bob Dole—“GOP Lawyer Picked to Probe Whitewater: Presidency: Ex-N.Y. Prosecutor Fiske Is Chosen as Special Counsel by Reno,” Los Angeles Times, January 21, 1994.
On June 17, 1993—“Who Is Vincent Foster?,” Wall Street Journal, June 17, 1993.
one in a series—“The Journal and Vincent Foster,” Washington Post, July 29, 1993.
Bartley and the Journal harrumphed—“Who Is Vincent Foster?,” Wall Street Journal.
His note mentioned—“Wall Street Journal Editorial Writers “Lie Without…,’ ” Baltimore Sun, August 12, 1993.
Weirdly pretending—Brock, Blinded by the Right.
He disingenuously concluded—“The Foster Test,” Wall Street Journal, January 14, 1994.
He’d been awarded a Pulitzer Prize—“The 1980 Pulitzer Prize Winner in Editorial Writing,” The Pulitzer Prizes.
Robert Fiske, working industriously—“Foster’s Death a Suicide,” Washington Post, July 1, 1994.
in editorials with headlines—“From Scandal to Farce,” Newsweek, August 14, 1994.
and he made his case—“Judge Met Sen. Faircloth Before Fiske Was Ousted,” Washington Post, August 12, 1994.
Chief Justice Rehnquist had appointed—“Appointment in Whitewater Turns into a Partisan Battle,” New York Times, August 6, 1994.
“The change came as a complete surprise”—Ibid.
Brown was the one to give us the infamous—“From Willie Horton to Western Journalism: Floyd Brown’s Career in Media Manipulation,” Newsweek, December 6, 2016.
Floyd Brown had founded a nonprofit—Ibid.
Brown told a Washington Times reporter—“The GOP’s Own ‘Dennis the Menace,’ ” Washington Times, July 10, 1992.
July 1988 Reader’s Digest article—“Getting Away with Murder,” Reader’s Digest, July 1998.
working with TV ad maker Larry McCarthy—“Attack Dog,” The New Yorker, February 5, 2012.
Republic of Spin author David Greenberg—“Bush Made Willie Horton an Issue in 1988, and the Racial Scars Are Still Fresh,” New York Times, December 3, 2018.
“If I can make Willie Horton a household name”—Ibid.
Atwater even called Horton—Ibid.
Roger Ailes, then a Bush strategist—Ibid.
putting out a crude attack-ad smear-job—“Tables Turned in High Court Skirmish: Judiciary: Conservatives Are Running ‘Attack Ads’ Against Liberal Senators,” Los Angeles Times, September 5, 1991.
with a narrator asking whether Kennedy and Biden—Ibid.
The New York Times reported—“Bush Criticizes Ad Backing Thomas,” New York Times, September 5, 1991.
“We have what we need to turn ads around very quickly”—Ibid.
having just been denounced—Ibid.
said Arthur Kropp of People for the American Way—Ibid.
but the Times revealed that the White House—Ibid.
$15,000 to $20,000—Ibid.
“The latest advertisement shares another common feature”—Ibid.
even after a direct appeal—“Bush Acts to Quiet Storm over TV Ad on Thomas,” New York Times, September 6, 1991.
“Unfortunately, the administration has no desire”—Ibid.
The week before the Clarence Thomas hearings—Ibid.
who was finance chair of Newt Gingrich’s PAC—“Clinton Aides Step Up Attacks on Starr Inquiry,” New York Times, April 8, 1998.
He had published a “book” that year—Floyd G. Brown, Slick Willie: Why America Cannot Trust Bill Clinton (Annapolis-Washington Book Publishing, 1993).
with chapters like—Ibid.
Author James B. Stewart was tart—“Innocence Betrayed,” New York Times, October 13, 1996.
However, Stewart was pretty on target—Ibid.
basketball player Charles Ludington—Author interview.
even old pros like Pete Yost—Associated Press, “Hillary’s Grand Jury Appearance Today,” Petoskey (Michigan) News-Review, January 26, 1996. Accessed via newspapers.com.
You judge for yourself—Ibid.
Yost’s account moved on—Ibid.
egged on by House Speaker Newt Gingrich—“Gingrich ‘Not Convinced’ Foster Death Was Suicide,” Washington Post, July 26, 1995.
his voice no doubt cracking—“Foster Was ‘Critical’ to Travel Office Probe,” Tampa Bay Times, January 18, 1998.
James Hamilton, had previously told—“Attorney Seeks Protection of Foster’s Final Confidences,” Washington Post, January 17, 1998.
“Mr. Kavanaugh, we’ll hear from you”—Swidler & Berlin v. United States, Supreme Court.gov.
Seventy-six words into his debut—Ibid.
“They’re not quite as well-known”—Ibid.
“Covering the Courts” columnist James J. Kilpatrick—“Does Death Put an End to ‘Privileged’ Talks?,” Binghamton Press and Sun-Bulletin, June 15, 1998. Accessed via newspapers.com.
Stevens scolded Kavanaugh—Swidler & Berlin v. United States, Supreme Court.gov.
As David Savage wrote—“Justices Skeptical of Effort by Starr to Waive Privilege,” Los Angeles Times, June 9, 1998.
Added Stephen Labaton—“Supreme Court Hears Case on Ex-White House Counsel’s Notes,” New York Times, June 9, 1998.
wrote Aaron Epstein—“Court Keeps Lawyer Notes from Starr,” Philadelphia Inquirer, June 26, 1998. Accessed via newspapers.com.
A judge identified twenty-four news reports—“Secret Report on Starr Inquiry Leaks Is Released, but Doesn’t Name Kavanaugh,” New York Times, August 23, 2018.
The Washington Post reported on Kavanaugh—“Kavanaugh Is Not Mentioned in Once-Secret Report on Press Leaks,” Washington Post, August 23, 2018.
The Post itself: Analysis by the author.
Sheldon Whitehouse laid out—“Confirmation Hearing on the Nomination of Hon. Brett M. Kavanaugh to Be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States,” United States Senate Judiciary Committee Transcript, Part 1, September 4, 5, 6, 7, 27, 2018.
but denied improper disclosures—Ibid.
Challenged by Whitehouse—Ibid.
admonished Starr’s deputies—“Report of the Special Master on Rulthe(E) Inquiry,” United States District Court of the District of Columbia, National Archives.
After breaching legal ethics—“Former Lawyer for Paula Jones Says He Consulted Starr About Case,” New York Times, October 15, 1998.
Starr had been given secretly made tapes—“Starr Aides Trace Lewinsky’s Steps,” Washington Post, May 27, 1998.
who urged Starr to ask—“Brett Kavanaugh Urged Graphic Questions in Clinton Inquiry,” New York Times, August 20, 2018.
Kavanaugh was also the principal author—“Brett Kavanaugh Memo Proposed Explicit Questions for President Bill Clinton,” Washington Post, August 20, 2018.
reading like a bad pulp novel—“Narrative Pt. II: Initial Sexual Encounters,” Starr Report.
when reports resurfaced—“Aspects of Gingrich Divorce Story Distorted,” Washington Post, November 20, 2011.
the board of regents fired him—“Baylor Demotes President Kenneth Starr over Handling of Sex Assault Cases,” New York Times, May 26, 2016.
Starr later joined Trump’s legal team—“Texan Ken Starr Joins Donald Trump’s Impeachment Defense Team,” Texas Tribune, January 17, 2020.
also joined the team defending—“Ken Starr Waged ‘Scorched-Earth’ Campaign to Drop Federal Case Against Epstein: Book,” The Hill, July 14, 2021.
involving a brutal smear—“Ken Starr Helped Jeffrey Epstein with ‘Scorched-Earth’ Campaign, Book Claims,” The Guardian, July 13, 2021.
came forward to admit—“Ken Starr, Brett Kavanaugh, Jeffrey Epstein and Me,” Judi Hershman via Medium, July 12, 2021.
also highlighting Brett Kavanaugh’s—Ibid.
Hershman pinpointed the blatant hypocrisy—Ibid.
In his 2018 memoir—Ken Starr, Contempt: A Memoir of the Clinton Investigation (Sentinel, 2018).
led to his being indicted—“Attorney John Eastman Surrenders on Charges in Trump’s Georgia 2020 Election Subversion Case,” Associated Press, August 22, 2023.
another court ruling stating that Eastman—“Judge: Trump ‘More Likely than Not’ Committed Crimes Related to Jan. 6 Attack,” Roll Call, March 28, 2022.
Thomas would tell his clerks—“Ginni Thomas’s Close Ties with Husband’s Law Clerks Highlighted in New Book,” The Hill, June 21, 2022.
Thomas made a ritual—“7 Pols Who Praised Ayn Rand,” Politico, April 26, 2012.
As film critic David Thomson put it—“Reach for the Skyscraper,” The Independent, November 15, 1998.
Clarence Thomas said at a 2008 event—“The Second Annual William French Smith Memorial Lecture: A Conversation with Justice Clarence Thomas,” Pepperdine Law Review 37, no. 5 (December 15, 2009).
In a 2022 book, Created Equal—Michael Pack and Mark Paoletta, Created Equal: Clarence Thomas in His Own Words (Regnery, 2022).
“Claremont is among the most influential”—“2 Wealthy Conservatives Use Think Tanks to Push Goals,” Los Angeles Times, July 8, 1996.
studied economics and politics—“For John Eastman and Clarence Thomas, an Intellectual Kinship Stretching Back Decades,” Washington Post, December 23, 2022.
His thesis advisor, Bill Allen—Ibid.
Allen, a member of President Reagan’s—“Pomona Professor to Seek GOP Senate Nomination,” San Bernardino County Sun, January 14, 1986. Accessed via newspapers.com.
Eastman, identified as Allen’s—Ibid.
That June, he finished eleventh out of thirteen—“CA US Senate—R Primary,” Our Campaigns.
the following April Reagan appointed him—“For John Eastman and Clarence Thomas, an Intellectual Kinship Stretching Back Decades,” Washington Post.
Eastman moved to Washington—Ibid.
“In Washington, he was a gregarious go-getter”—Ibid.
Eastman would later talk of—Ibid.
he started hiring Claremont-affiliated scholars—Ibid.
was known at the time principally for—Ibid.
credited with supplying Goldwater—“The Goldwater Campaign,” New York, October 12, 2012.
asked the Claremont scholars to tell him what he believed—“How the Claremont Institute Became a Nerve Center of the American Right,” New York Times Magazine, June 15, 2023.
Thomas later praised an article—“Danforth: Thomas Speech Didn’t Reflect Abortion View,” Washington Post, July 18, 1991.
claiming it was a “throwaway line”—“Nomination of Judge Clarence Thomas to Be Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States,” United States Senate Judiciary Committee, Part 1, September 10, 11, 12, 13, 16, 1991.
Eastman completed his law degree—“Dr. John C. Eastman,” The Federalist Society.
he was surprisingly generous—“Inside Professor Obama’s Classroom,” New York Times, July 30, 2008.
Law professor Garrett Epps—“The Dangerous Journey of John Eastman,” Washington Monthly, April 4, 2023.
naming him one of his clerks—“For John Eastman and Clarence Thomas, an Intellectual Kinship Stretching Back Decades,” Washington Post.
Eastman had also clerked for J. Michael Luttig—Ibid.
who would later speak out against—“A Conservative Judge Helped Stop Trump on Jan. 6. He Wants to Finish the Job,” Washington Post, February 2, 2023.
Eastman for many years chaired—“Should the Federalist Society Reckon with Members Who Aided Trump’s False Election Claims?,” ABA Journal, January 19, 2021.
In 1990, two years after working on—“Challengers Find the Road to Congress Is Uphill Struggle,” Los Angeles Times, October 25, 1990.
He finished well back—“Election Results for the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives,” Federal Election Commission, April 1991.
Eastman threw his name in the hat—“Court Orders Title Change for California Attorney General Candidate,” Los Angeles Times, April 2, 2010.
Eastman ended up finishing second—“California Attorney General Election, 2010,” Ballotpedia.
“I think I would’ve beaten”—“The Dangerous Journey of John Eastman,” Washington Monthly.
recalls Republican consultant Wayne C. Johnson—Author interview.
Eastman struck Wayne Johnson—Author interview.
Among the contributors—Per California Secretary of State records.
Los Angeles Times editorial board—“Steve Cooley in Republican Race for State Attorney General,” Los Angeles Times, April 29, 2010.
Eastman would finish with 737,025 votes—“California Attorney General Election, 2010,” Ballotpedia.
In September 2011, Eastman was named chairman—“John Eastman Named National Organization for Marriage Chairman,” Huffington Post, September 22, 2011.
when the chief justice resisted—“First Take: Justices Decide Gay Marriage by Not Deciding,” USA Today, October 6, 2014.
even when he sounded pious—“Gay Marriage Fight May Hinge on Supreme Court’s Anthony Kennedy,” Los Angeles Times, February 8, 2012.
By December 2020, Eastman found himself—“What You Need to Know About John Eastman’s 2020 Election Charges,” PBS, September 21, 2023.
Trump lawyer Kenneth Chesebro—“Trump Lawyers Saw Justice Thomas as ‘Only Chance’ to Stop 2020 Election Certification,” Politico, November 22, 2022.
To this fevered, arguably treasonous suggestion—Ibid.
was also in regular email contact—“Trump Lawyer Cited ‘Heated Fight’ Among Justices over Election Suits,” New York Times, June 15, 2022.
Sometimes referred to as “the Brooks Brothers riot”—“How the ‘Brooks Brothers Riot’ Set the Stage for Insurrection,” The Nation, August 4, 2022.
who directed an aide to “shut it down”—“Pol Versus Pole,” New York, March 19, 2001.
nickname “Congressman Kick-Ass”—“The 20th District in New York,” Race Profile, New York Times.
the self-described “Republican hit man”—“Donald Trump Breaks with Longtime Aide Roger Stone,” MSNBC, August 8, 2015.
key role in organizing the January 6 assault—“Revealed: Roger Stone’s Secret Call with Proud Boys Leader in Lead-up to Jan. 6,” Rolling Stone, January 4, 2024.
Bush was represented by—Bush v. Gore, 531 U.S. 98 (2000), Justia.
logic only applied to “the present circumstances”—Ibid.
“as we say in Brooklyn, a piece of shit”—“Scalia Thought Bush v. Gore Legal Rationale Was a ‘Piece of Sh-t’ but Backed It Anyway,” Washington Examiner, March 7, 2019.
Republican senator Chuck Hagel—“The Rare Diplomat,” Salon, November 20, 2000.
As one Supreme Court law clerk at the time—“The Path to Florida,” Vanity Fair, October 2004.
summed up their sentiments—Ibid.
As one former clerk explained to Margolick—Ibid.
Evan Thomas wrote in his biography—Evan Thomas, First: Sandra Day O’Connor (Random House, 2019).
Kennedy’s clerks were plugged into—“The Path to Florida,” Vanity Fair.
Ginni was intimately involved—“Contesting the Vote: Challenging a Justice; Job of Thomas’s Wife Raises Conflict-of-Interest Questions,” New York Times, December 12, 2000.
Law clerks later leaked that O’Connor—“The Path to Florida,” Vanity Fair.
Jeffrey Toobin reported that O’Connor—Jeffrey Toobin, Too Close to Call: The Thirty-Six-Day Battle to Decide the 2000 Election (Random House, 2001).
wrote Harvard Law professor Alan Dershowitz—Alan Dershowitz, Supreme Injustice: How the High Court Hijacked Election 2000 (Oxford University Press, 2001).
the nonpartisan Florida Ballots Project concluded—“So, Who Really Won? What the Bush v. Gore Studies Showed,” CNN, October 31, 2015.
She would be the first justice who would not have—“If Approved, a First-Time Judge, Yes, but Hardly the First in Court’s History,” New York Times, October 4, 2005.
served as Bush’s personal lawyer—“Low-Profile Woman, High-Powered Job,” New York Times, November 20, 2004.
first woman to serve as president—Ibid.
“Low-Profile Woman, High-Powered Job”—Ibid.
Bush referred to her as a—Ibid.
Robert Bork, now licking his wounds—“Robert Bork on Harriet Miers’ High Court Bid,” National Public Radio, October 11, 2005.
Eugene Delgaudio, president—“Senate Presses for Quick Miers Confirmation,” NBC News, October 2, 2005.
from radio host Rush Limbaugh—“Rush Limbaugh Reacts to Miers Nomination,” Fox News, October 5, 2005.
syndicated columnists Pat Buchanan—“Examining the Conservative Split over Miers,” NBC News, October 11, 2005.
and Ann Coulter—“Private: Ann Coulter on Miers,” American Constitution Society, October 6, 2005.
speculated that if confirmed—“GOP Senator Concerned About Miers’ Abortion Views,” ABC News, October 5, 2005.
Miers had indicated that she favored—“Questions for Harriet Miers,” PBS, October 18, 2005.
leaked that in a meeting—“Specter, White House at Odds over Miers’ Views,” CNN, October 18, 2005.
Other nodes in the campaign—“Point Man for Miers Juggles Allegiances,” Wall Street Journal, October 26, 2005.
the administration withdrew the nomination—“President’s Statement on Harriet Miers’ Supreme Court Nomination Withdrawal,” White House Archives, October 27, 2005.
As Federalist Society expert Ann Southworth—“Justice Alito’s Crusade Against a Secular America Isn’t Over,” The New Yorker, August 28, 2022.
As Federalist founder Steven Calabresi—“In Alito, G.O.P. Reaps Harvest Planted in ’82,” New York Times, January 30, 2006.
Democrat Harry Reid—“Lawmakers React to Miers’ Withdrawal,” CNN, October 27, 2005.
Charlie Savage of The Boston Globe—“Family Names, Fresh Faces Among Options,” Boston Globe, October 28, 2005. Accessed via newspapers.com.
“Miranda Plan” of attack—“Getting Ready for the Supreme Court Battle,” The Hill, November 30, 2004. Accessed via FreeRepublic.
When Miers was withdrawn—“Right Ponders Relations with White House,” Washington Post, October 28, 2005.
The Associated Press posed the question—“Miers’ Withdrawal May Spawn a New Verb,” NBC News, October 27, 2005.
a conservative Catholic—“Opus Dei’s Influence on the U.S. Judiciary,” Church and State, December 21, 2018.
Nicknamed Scalito—“Opinion: Samuel Alito: One Angry Man,” Politico Magazine, May 18, 2022.
Steinert High in Hamilton Township—“Supreme Court Justice Sam Alito Returns to Steinert High School for Library Dedication,” The Trentonian, August 19, 2021.
later described by classmates—“A Tiger on the Court: Sam Alito ’72 at Princeton,” Princeton Alumni Weekly, March 8, 2006.
He supported Barry Goldwater’s run—“Justice Alito’s Crusade Against a Secular America Isn’t Over,” The New Yorker, August 28, 2022.
avid reader of William F. Buckley’s National Review—Ibid.
joining a sexist campus organization—Ibid.
Interior Secretary Walter Hickel visited the campus—“A Tiger on the Court,” Princeton Alumni Weekly.
one of only twelve members of his class—“Alito Is Seen as a Methodical Jurist with a Clear Record,” New York Times, November 1, 2005.
when he joined the campus Whig-Cliosophic Society—“Justice Alito’s Crusade Against a Secular America Isn’t Over,” The New Yorker.
settled for a meeting with Justice John Marshall Harlan II—Ibid.
George Pieler later recalled—“A Tiger on the Court,” Princeton Alumni Weekly.
dense senior’s thesis on Italian law—Ibid.
recalling that he researched his thesis—“1972 Nassau Herald.”
Alito hoped to study with his intellectual hero—“A Tiger on the Court,” Princeton Alumni Weekly.
Margaret Talbot wrote—“Justice Alito’s Crusade Against a Secular America Isn’t Over,” The New Yorker.
Alito would draw puzzled stares—Ibid.
1985 application to be deputy attorney general—“Presidential Personnel Appointment form for Samuel A. Alito, Jr. for the Non-Career Position of Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Office of Legal Counsel,” United States Archives.
Bush nominated Alito to the U.S. Court of Appeals—“Justice Samuel A. Alito, Jr.,” White House Archives.
he was approved unanimously—Ibid.
his ninety-year-old mother—“90-Year-Old Mother Mum, Except About Topic of Abortion,” The Sun Journal, November 1, 2005.
“It was a done deal”—“In Alito, G.O.P. Reaps Harvest Planted in ’82,” New York Times, January 30, 2006.
“Roe v. Wade is an important precedent”—“Confirmation Hearing on the Nomination of Samuel A. Alito, Jr. to Be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States,” United States Senate Judiciary Committee, January 9–13, 2006.
he dismissed the Meese memos—Ibid.
An Axios analysis—“Supreme Court Ideology Continues to Lean Conservative, New Data Shows,” Axios, July 3, 2023.
overturned longstanding court precedent—“Supreme Court Strikes Down Affirmative Action Programs in College Admissions,” SCOTUSblog, June 29, 2023.
ruled that a private business owner—“Supreme Court Rules Website Designer Can Decline to Create Same-Sex Wedding Websites,” SCOTUSblog, June 30, 2023.
weakened the Environmental Protection Agency—“Supreme Court Curtails EPA’s Authority to Fight Climate Change,” SCOTUS blog, June 30, 2022.
charge on requiring states to subsidize religious schools—“U.S. Supreme Court Backs Public Money for Religious Schools,” Reuters, June 21, 2022.
weakening the Affordable Care Act—“Court Again Leaves Affordable Care Act in Place,” SCOTUSblog, June 17, 2021.
expanding the right to carry firearms—“The Constitutional Right to Carry Firearms in Public Will Harm Public Health,” Boston University School of Public Health, October 14, 2022.
he gave a blunt speech—“In Unusually Political Speech, Alito Says Liberals Pose Threat to Liberties,” New York Times, November 13, 2020.
ProPublica broke the news—“Justice Samuel Alito Took Luxury Fishing Vacation with GOP Billionaire Who Later Had Cases Before the Court,” ProPublica, June 20, 2023.
Alito ruled in a 7–1 case—“Justice Samuel Alito Took Luxury Fishing Vacation with GOP Billionaire Who Later Had Cases Before the Court,” ProPublica.
Georgetown law professor Abbe Smith—Ibid.
Alito took the extraordinary step—“Justice Samuel Alito: ProPublica Misleads Its Readers,” Wall Street Journal, June 20, 2023.
the Ethics in Government Act—“Code of Conduct for United States Judges,” United States Courts.
Alito again appeared—“Samuel Alito, the Supreme Court’s Plain-Spoken Defender,” Wall Street Journal, July 28, 2023.
Congressional expert Norm Ornstein—“Samuel Alito Is Wrong and Arrogant—and Must Be Reined In,” The New Republic, September 11, 2023.
Whitehouse lodged an ethics complaint—“Whitehouse Lodges Ethics Complaint Against Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito,” Sheldon Whitehouse Press Release, September 5, 2023.
the man whose team identified—60 Minutes, CBS News, September 25, 2022.
Cleta Mitchell had the distinction—“Read the Report by the Special Grand Jury in Georgia That Investigated President Trump,” New York Times, September 8, 2023.
As The Intercept wrote in September 2023—“Trump Lawyer Cleta Mitchell Escaped Georgia Indictment—And Still Leads Election Denial Movement,” The Intercept, September 13, 2023.
Talking to the January 6th Committee—“Read: House January 6 Committee Releases More Transcripts, Including Jared Kushner and Ginni Thomas,” CNN, December 30, 2022.
Added Riggleman—Author interview.
Riggleman and his data team—“Meadows’ Texts Show ‘Roadmap to an Attempted Coup,’ ex-Jan. 6 Investigator Riggleman Says,” USA Today, September 26, 2022.
calling that effort—“Read: House January 6 Committee Releases More Transcripts, Including Jared Kushner and Ginni Thomas,” CNN.
she also referenced talking to her husband—Ibid.
Ginni Thomas forwarded to Meadows—Ibid.
came in a 1982 Pia Zadora vehicle—Fake-Out, IMDb.
including in Death Wish 4—Death Wish 4: The Crackdown, IMDb.
She started working with a rabidly anti-Clinton group—“The Nativists,” Southern Poverty Law Center, November 2, 2006.
spoke at a so-called March for Justice rally—“Rally Supporting Clinton Investigation,” C-SPAN, October 31, 1998.
Introducing Clinton-hating former FBI agent—Ibid.
Giddy and bouncy, she led cheers—Ibid.
Among the speakers that day was Alan Keyes—Ibid.
Connie Hair was his spokesperson—“Keyes Makes It Official: He’s Out of Presidential Race,” CNN, July 26, 2000.
even though Keyes had already lost Senate races—“Alan Keyes,” Encyclopaedia Britannica.
when he did an interview with Michelangelo Signorile—“Senate Candidate Alan Keyes Calls Mary Cheney a ‘Selfish Hedonist,’ ” The Advocate, September 2, 2004.
As reported in The Southern Illinoisan—“Keyes Comments on Homosexuality Stir Up Controversy,” Southern Illinoisan, September 2, 2004. Accessed via newspapers.com.
there was Connie Hair—“U.S. Border Posse Sets Sights on 49th Parallel,” Globe and Mail (Toronto), August 12, 2005.
Minutemen were riding a wave of interest—“Minutemen Go Back to Work,” CBS News, April 2, 2006.
founder Chris Simcox told the Associated Press—Associated Press, “Minutemen Say Volunteer Calls Pouring In over Fencing Proposal,” Independent Record, April 22, 2006.
“Minuteman spokeswoman Connie Hair”—Ibid.
Southern Poverty Law Center assessed the sequence of events—“The Nativists,” Southern Poverty Law Center.
George F. Will, whose syndicated column—“Campaign Reform Seeks to Muzzle Free Speech,” Washington Post, reprinted in Northwest (Illinois) Herald, March 31, 2001. Accessed via newspapers.com.
Will cited a New York Times formulation—Ibid.
Will resorted to the in-print version—Ibid.
Will’s column turned for help—Ibid.
That “study,” as Mitchell liked to term it—Who’s Buying Campaign Finance “Reform”?, The American Conservative Union, 2001.
Chapter 3 of Mitchell’s 2001 pamphlet—Ibid.
BCRA banned so-called soft money—“FEC Commissioner Blasts Campaign Finance Reform,” Virginia School of Law, November 13, 2003.
starting in 1995 with an op-ed they wrote together—“Making Sense of McCain-Feingold and Campaign-Finance Reform,” The Atlantic, July/August 2003.
USA Today wrote in 2002—“Passage Ends Long Struggle for McCain, Feingold,” USA Today, March 20, 2002.
point of view of the argument—Who’s Buying Campaign Finance “Reform”?, The American Conservative Union.
Or how about this astonishing acknowledgment?—Ibid.
photo of her at age fifteen—Northeast High School, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, 1966 Yearbook, page 65. Accessed via ancestry.com.
missing out on a competition—“Senior at John Marshall City’s First Junior Miss,” Daily Oklahoman, December 3, 1967. Accessed via newspapers.com; “Teens Work Hard for News,” Oklahoma City Times, January 11, 1968. Accessed via newspapers.com.
At the University of Oklahoma in 1971—“OU to Close for Teach-in,” Sapulpa (Oklahoma) Daily Herald, February 17, 1971. Accessed via newspapers.com.
She ran that year for student body president—“1970s Activism Shaped State’s Leaders,” The Oklahoman, December 27, 1992.
She was known then as an outspoken feminist—Ibid.
she was ridiculed by opponents—Ibid.
Running as a Democrat, Cleta Deatheridge—“Mitchell, Cleta Deatherage (1950—),” Oklahoma Historical Society.
She was a Democrat for many years—Ibid.
she told the Norman Transcript—“Cleta Mitchell’s Journey from Progressive Oklahoma Lawmaker to Trump Lawyer,” Norman Transcript, January 9, 2021.
The sexual revolution, Magnet opined—Myron Magnet, The Dream & the Nightmare: The Sixties Legacy to the Underclass (Encounter Books, 2000).
Magnet, PW wrote—“The Dream and the Nightmare: The Sixties’ Legacy to the Underclass,” Publishers Weekly, March 1, 1993.
burbled syndicated columnist Mona Charen—Magnet, The Dream and the Nightmare.
Cleta Mitchell moved to Washington in 1991—“Meet Cleta Mitchell, the Conservative Movement’s Anti-Gay Eminence Grise,” The Atlantic, April 4, 2013.
As Denver Riggleman, an expert on Ginni Thomas—Author interview.
a story about Ginni asking him—Author interview, source anonymous.
Told the story, Denver Riggleman commented—Author interview; “Texts Show Ginni Thomas’s Embrace of Conspiracy Theories,” New York Times, March 26, 2022.
which Thomas shockingly failed—“Justice Clarence Thomas Failed to Disclose That Citizens United Foundation Supported His 1991 Nomination to the Supreme Court and Spent More Than $100,000 on Advertisements Attacking Opposing Senators, Says www.ProtectOurElections.org,” PR Newswire, February 15, 2011.
now controls more than a billion dollars—“An Unusual $1.6 Billion Donation Bolsters Conservatives,” New York Times, August 22, 2022.
outfit Floyd Brown founded—“From Willie Horton to Western Journalism: Floyd Brown’s Career in Media Manipulation,” Newsweek, December 6, 2016.
had moved on to a documentary-length attack—“ ‘Hillary: The Movie’ Opens at the Supreme Court,” National Public Radio, March 24, 2009.
McCain-Feingold, passed in 2002—“Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002,” Encyclopaedia Britannica.
represented by none other than—Citizens United v. FEC, 558 U.S. 310 (2010), Justia U.S. Supreme Court Center.
The Supreme Court ruled that corporations—“Citizens United Explained,” Brennan Center for Justice, December 12, 2019.
Jeffrey Toobin summed up—“Bad Judgment,” The New Yorker, January 22, 2010.
Justice John Paul Stevens took note—Citizens United v. FEC, 558 U.S. 310 (2010), Justia U.S. Supreme Court Center.
President Barack Obama famously spoke out—“Obama Was Right About Citizens United,” Brennan Center for Justice, April 12, 2022.
Justice Samuel Alito, a man lacking—Ibid.
Justice Potter Stewart had famously observed of obscenity—“The Origins of Justice Stewart’s ‘I Know It When I See It,’ ” Wall Street Journal, September 27, 2005.
Stevens, born in 1920—“The Case That Changed John Paul Stevens’s Life,” The Atlantic, July 18, 2019.
he enlisted in the Navy—Ibid.
Gerald Ford appointed Stevens—“John Paul Stevens: Canny Strategist and the ‘Finest Legal Mind’ Ford Could Find,” New York Times, July 16, 2019.
Ford later wrote—“The Case That Changed John Paul Stevens’s Life,” The Atlantic.
He actually wrote the first drafts—Citizens United v. FEC, 558 U.S. 310 (2010), Justia U.S. Supreme Court Center.
broke with his fellow ultraconservative judges—Ibid.
May 2023 analysis from Americans for Tax Fairness—“Travel Rewards: What the Crow Family May Have Bought by Hosting Those Luxury Trips for Justice Thomas,” Americans for Tax Fairness, May 1, 2023.
As Stevens wrote in his opinion—Citizens United v. FEC, 558 U.S. 310 (2010), Justia U.S. Supreme Court Center.
Clarence Thomas, in contrast—Ibid.
accuser Christine Blasey Ford in the press—Author interview.
Citizens United spent more than $100,000 in support of him—“Justice Clarence Thomas Failed to Disclose That Citizens United Foundation Supported His 1991 Nomination to the Supreme Court and Spent More Than $100,000 on Advertisements Attacking Opposing Senators, Says www.ProtectOurElections.org,” PR Newswire, February 15, 2011.
a group called ProtectOurElections calling him out—Ibid.
Common Cause, cited Thomas’s attendance—“Common Cause Seeks Details of Justice Thomas’ Reported ‘Drop-by’ at Koch Industries Political Meeting,” Common Cause, January 30, 2014
That was when President Barack Obama nominated—“President Obama Nominates Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court,” Washington Post, March 16, 2016.
first elected to the U.S. Senate—“Mitch McConnell, Young and…Moderate?,” The New Republic, March 21, 2019.
even though at that point Obama had—“Remarks by the President on the Passing of the U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia,” White House Archives.
as Amy Howe wrote in an analysis—“Supreme Court Vacancies in Presidential Election Years,” SCOTUSblog, February 13, 2016.
McConnell declared any appointment—“What Happened with Merrick Garland in 2016 and Why It Matters Now,” National Public Radio, June 29, 2018.
blockade was unconstitutional—“McConnell’s Unconstitutional Blockade of Garland Poisoned Subsequent Proceedings,” The Hill, February 16, 2022.
McConnell argued, disingenuously—“Here’s What Mitch McConnell Said About Not Filing a Supreme Court Vacancy in an Election Year,” CBS News, September 19, 2020.
by invoking what he decided to call—“Senator Mitch McConnell Responds to Nomination,” SCOTUSblog, March 16, 2016.
Joe Biden did give a speech on nominations—“Biden in ’92: No Election-Season Supreme Court Nominees,” Politico, February 22, 2016.
As Biden put it at the time—Ibid.
Biden observed, and went on to say—“Joe Biden Once Took GOP’s Position on Supreme Court Vacancy,” CBS News, February 22, 2016.
Vice President Biden commented in March 2016—“Joe Biden Says ‘There Is No Biden Rule.’ He’s Right,” Slate, March 24, 2016.
wondered New York senator Chuck Schumer—“Supreme Court Showdown Could Shape Fall Elections,” New York Times, March 16, 2016.
Democratic senator Amy Klobuchar—“Obama Chooses Merrick Garland for Supreme Court,” New York Times, March 16, 2016.
praised Garland about as lavishly as he praised—“Who Is Merrick Garland? Meet President Obama’s Nominee to the Supreme Court,” NBC News, March 16, 2016.
constitutional law scholar Laurence Tribe—“Harvard Law School’s Laurence Tribe Talks Merrick Garland, Supreme Court Fight,” NBC News, March 28, 2016.
had written at the time in a Kentucky journal—“Haynsworth and Carswell: A New Senate Standard of Excellence,” Kentucky Law Journal 59 (1970–71).
The Religious Right was an important element—“In Alito, G.O.P. Reaps Harvest Planted in ’82,” New York Times, January 30, 2006.
included millions from close Leo associates—“Dark Money Group Received Massive Donation in Fight Against Obama’s Supreme Court Nominee,” MapLight News Archive, October 24, 2017.
spearheaded a group called the Wellspring Committee—Ibid.
shut down in December 2018—“An Influential ‘Dark Money’ Group Turns Off the Lights for the Last Time,” OpenSecrets, May 23, 2019.
According to Lisa Graves’s Truth North Research—“Leonard Leo’s Court Capture Web Raised Nearly $600 Million Before Biden Won; Now It’s Spending Untold Millions from Secret Sources to Attack Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson,” True North Research, March 22, 2022.
As Politico reported on March 24, 2016—“Group Blasts Garland in Colorado with Million-Dollar Ad Buy,” Politico, March 24, 2016.
This was part of Judicial Crisis Network’s first wave of ads—Ibid.
Carrie Severino a platform to froth about—Ibid.
The Judicial Crisis Network was founded—“The JCN Story: How to Build a Secretive, Right-Wing Judicial Machine,” The Daily Beast, April 14, 2017.
Its key early supporters included—Ibid.
Media Matters reported in 2016—“Here Are the Big Players in the Inevitable Smear Campaign Against Judge Merrick Garland,” Media Matters for America, March 16, 2016.
In 1990, Ann Corkery spoke—“Opus Dei: An Inner Resolve,” Palm Beach Post, May 17, 1990. Accessed via newspapers.com.
As an Opus Dei flyer explained—Ibid.
Corkery spoke to a reporter—“Love of God Is Shrouded in Secrecy; Opus Dei Wants Others to Understand Devotion,” South Florida Sun Sentinel, May 25, 1990.
Ann Corkery did share this glimpse—Ibid.
Leonard Leo—listed as the only trustee—“Leonard Leo’s Court Capture Web Raised Nearly $600 Million Before Biden Won,” True North Research.
more than $80 million in its first year—Ibid.
Exit polls showed the issue of the courts—“Polling Data Shows Republicans Turned Out for Trump in 2016 Because of the Supreme Court,” Vox, June 29, 2018.
Democrats powerless to stop McConnell—“Fact Check: Republicans, Not Democrats, Eliminated the Senate Filibuster on Supreme Court Nominees,” USA Today, October 1, 2020.
In a 2016 speech, he declared—“What Happened with Merrick Garland in 2016 and Why It Matters Now,” National Public Radio.
McConnell said the decision not to act—“McConnell Points to ‘the Most Consequential Decision’ of His Career,” MSNBC, April 5, 2018.
Then came a fateful meeting in March 2016—“Politico 50: Leonard Leo,” Politico Magazine, 2018.
Trump released lists of potential high court nominees—“Trump Unveils His Potential Supreme Court Nominees,” CNN, May 18, 2016.
All three future justices—“How Trump and Two Lawyers Narrowed the Field for His Supreme Court Choice,” Washington Post, July 8, 2018.
They would, Trump promised—“Trump: I’ll Appoint Supreme Court Justices to Overturn Roe v. Wade Abortion Case,” CNBC, October 19, 2016.
Leo had hundreds of millions of dollars—“A Conservative Activist’s Behind-the-Scenes Campaign to Remake the Nation’s Courts,” Washington Post, May 21, 2019.
By then, Leo had shepherded some 200 judges—“When Conservative Justices Revolt,” The Atlantic, July 28, 2020.
Currently out of—Original research for this book.
Leo met with Trump in New York—“November 16, 2016: Clip of Trump Tower Web Stream,” C-SPAN.
the list of guest speakers included—“Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Ted Cruz head for Federalist Society Convention,” Washington Times, November 16, 2016.
In other words: An enormous opportunity—“Justice Thomas: Honor Scalia by Reining in Government,” Seattle Times, November 17, 2016.
appointed by Reagan as the first woman—“Neil Gorsuch’s Mother Once Ran the EPA. It Didn’t Go Well,” Washington Post, February 1, 2017.
had a highly controversial tenure—“Remember When Neil Gorsuch’s Mother Tried to Dismantle the EPA?,” Slate, January 31, 2017.
and was forced out of her job—“Neil Gorsuch’s Mother Once Ran the EPA,” Washington Post.
“a member of a conservative group”—“Anne Gorsuch Burford, 62, Dies; Reagan EPA Director,” Washington Post, July 22, 2004.
One fellow Colorado legislator found Gorsuch—Associated Press, “EPA Chief Anne Gorsuch—In Center of Swirling Torrent,” Miami Herald, December 13, 1981. Accessed via newspapers.com.
a sobriquet that morphed into—“Neil Gorsuch’s Late Mother Almost Annihilated the EPA. Is History Repeating Itself?,” Newsweek, February 6, 2017.
surgeon father had instilled in her—“Anne Gorsuch Burford, 62, Reagan E.P.A. Chief, Dies,” New York Times, July 22, 2004.
she completed her undergraduate studies—“Biography of Anne M. Gorsuch (Burford),” Environmental Protection Agency.
attorney for Mountain Bell Telephone—“Colorado News Briefs,” Greeley Daily Tribune, October 26, 1976. Accessed via newspapers.com. “State representative David Gaon, D-Denver, Monday accused his Republican opponent with a conflict of interest in that she is seeking office while a corporate attorney and registered lobbyist with Mountain Bell. Gaon pointed to an interview in which Anne McGill Gorsuch said she would not abstain from voting on issues that could affect the financial interests of the phone company.”
who could be counted on to horrify liberal proponents—“Remember When Neil Gorsuch’s Mother Tried to Dismantle the EPA?,” Slate.
Neil, attended Georgetown Prep—“Kavanaugh and Gorsuch Both Went to the Same Elite Prep School,” New York Times, July 10, 2018.
A look through his 1984 high school yearbook tells a dramatic story—“Cupola 1984,” Georgetown Prep. Accessed via Classmates.com.
As she wrote in her 1986 autobiography—Anne M. Burford, Are You Tough Enough? (McGraw Hill, 1986).
Gorsuch ran into trouble for her agency’s handling—“Neil Gorsuch’s Mother Once Ran the EPA,” The Washington Post.
As The New York Times reported—“E.P.A. Chief Plans White House Legal Talks,” New York Times, March 7, 1983.
Gorsuch had also been cited for contempt of Congress—“House Charges Head of E.P.A. with Contempt,” New York Times, December 17, 1982.
she remarried and began going by the name—“Neil Gorsuch’s Mother Once Ran the EPA,” Washington Post.
As she wrote in her resignation letter—“Letter Accepting the Resignation of Anne M. Burford as Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency,” Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum.
Summed up The Washington Post—“Burford Quits as EPA Administrator,” Washington Post, March 9, 1983.
where soon after graduation he cowrote an essay—“Will the Gentlemen Please Yield?—A Defense of the Constitutionality of State Imposed Term Limitations,” The Cato Institute, September 24, 1992.
earned the approving attention—“No More Careerists in Congress,” Washington Post, September 30, 1992.
he also wrote opinion articles—“Liberals’N’Lawsuits,” National Review, February 7, 2005.
In May 2006, Gorsuch was appointed—“Judge Neil Gorsuch—Colorado Native and Washington, D.C., Veteran,” SCOTUSblog, January 30, 2017.
Linda Greenhouse would be describing Gorsuch—“Tragedy or Triumph,” New York Times, September 3, 2014.
Gorsuch had received his right-wing legal establishment coronation—“Judge Neil Gorsuch—Colorado Native and Washington, D.C., Veteran,” SCOTUSblog.
Joan Biskupic wrote in Nine Black Robes—Joan Biskupic, Nine Black Robes: Inside the Supreme Court’s Drive to the Right and Its Historic Consequences (HarperCollins, 2023).
Earlier Olson lecture speakers included—“Barbara K. Olson Memorial Lecture Past Lecturers,” The Federalist Society.
a surefire warm-up for that crowd—Ibid.
Gorsuch made the long list—“Donald Trump Expands List of Possible Supreme Court Picks,” CBS News, September 23, 2016.
McGahn would later joke—“Trump’s Fury at Don McGahn Is Misplaced,” The Atlantic, May 22, 2019.
In late January 2017, Gorsuch was formally nominated—“President Donald J. Trump Nominates Judge Neil Gorsuch to the United States Supreme Court,” White House Archives, January 31, 2017.
Gorsuch dressed the doctrine up this way—“Neil Gorsuch: An Eloquent Intellectual,” The Hoover Institution, February 6, 2017.
eloquent, also backward—“Originalism: A Primer on Scalia’s Constitutional Philosophy,” National Public Radio, February 14, 2016.
The rise of originalism charted the rise—“Trump’s Supreme Court Pick Is a Disciple of Scalia’s ‘Originalist’ Crusade,” National Public Radio, February 2, 2017.
Republican presidents had the good fortune—Ibid.
How had Gorsuch come to President Trump’s attention—“In Gorsuch, Conservative Activist Sees Test Case for Reshaping the Judiciary,” New York Times, March 18, 2017.
Leonard Leo, once again, said he was taking—“How Leonard Leo’s Dark Money Network Orchestrated a New Attack on the Voting Rights Act,” Mother Jones, December 18, 2023.
There would be no such doubts—“Neil Gorsuch Helped Defend Disputed Bush-Era Terror Policies,” New York Times, March 15, 2017.
Gorsuch had been recommended—“Neil Gorsuch Has Web of Ties to Secretive Billionaire,” New York Times, March 14, 2017.
who supported antigay causes and groups—“AEG Owner Phil Anschutz Is Still Donating to Causes Promoting Anti-LGBTQ Beliefs,” Billboard, February 11, 2020.
Anschutz, a major donor—“The Anschutz Foundation 990, 2010.”
also owns the right-wing Washington Examiner—“Phil Anschutz’s Conservative Agenda,” Politico, October 16, 2009.
Gorsuch misleadingly told—“Confirmation Hearing on the Nomination of Hon. Neil M. Gorsuch to Be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States,” United States Senate Judiciary Committee, March 20, 21, 22, 23, 2017.
Dick Durbin of Illinois then quizzed Gorsuch—Ibid.
asked by Sheldon Whitehouse—Ibid.
spoke in March 2022 about how Gorsuch—Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, “The Scheme 13: Auditioning,” March 15, 2022.
Leo commented to New Yorker reporter Jeffrey Toobin—“The Conservative Pipeline to the Supreme Court,” The New Yorker, April 10, 2017.
In July 2003, Bush nominated his close aide—“Nominations Sent to the Senate,” White House Archives, July 25, 2003.
successfully stalled the confirmation—“Democrats’ View of Kavanaugh Shaped by Bitter 2004 Hearing,” Washington Post, September 2, 2018.
forward again for the post in January 2006—Ibid.
As Newsday explained the strategy—“GOP Using Court Nominee to Revitalize Conservatives,” Newsday, May 10, 2006. Accessed via newspapers.com.
Democratic senator Dick Durbin of Illinois—“Is Brett Kavanaugh the ‘Forrest Gump’ of Washington?,” Washington Post, July 12, 2018.
Durbin and other senators accused Kavanaugh—“Durbin Accuses Kavanaugh of Misleading Senators in 2006 Hearing,” The Hill, September 11, 2018.
Memos later surfaced proving—“Document Shows Judge Kavanaugh Misled Durbin Under Oath About His Work on Controversial Judicial Nomination,” Senator Dick Durbin Press Release, September 11, 2018.
singled out Brett Kavanaugh—Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, “The Scheme 13: Auditioning,” March 15, 2022.
On March 30, 2015, for example, Kavanaugh delivered a speech—“The Judge as Umpire,” Catholic University Law Review, June 22, 2016.
which has close ties to Leonard Leo—“Leonard Leo Has Reshaped the Supreme Court. Is He Reshaping Catholic University Too?,” National Catholic Reporter, December 15, 2022.
a former Yale Daily News sportswriter—“Decades Before Nomination Brett Kavanaugh Wrote About College Sports,” Yale Daily News, July 10, 2018.
Ruth Marcus of The Washington Post—Ruth Marcus, Supreme Ambition: Brett Kavanaugh and the Conservative Takeover (Simon & Schuster, 2019).
Kavanaugh was not on the first list—“Trump Releases New List of Potential Supreme Court Nominees,” SCOTUSblog, September 9, 2020.
“Like Barrett, Kavanaugh did his own publicity”—Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, “The Scheme 13: Auditioning.”
the Trump family reportedly set their sights—“Inside the White House’s Quiet Campaign to Create a Supreme Court Opening,” New York Times, June 28, 2018.
First Daughter Ivanka Trump—“Book Reveals Trump Effort to Persuade Justice Kennedy to Step Aside for Kavanaugh,” The Guardian, February 4, 2020.
In 2005, Justin Kennedy helped secure—“Inside the White House’s Quiet Campaign to Create a Supreme Court Opening,” New York Times.
The New York Times reported that Trump was able—“How Trump Maneuvered His Way Out of Trouble in Chicago,” New York Times, October 8, 2021.
Justin Kennedy continued to help—“Donald Trump, Anthony Kennedy and the ‘Boy’ at Deutsche Bank: Not Just About the Money,” Salon, July 2, 2018.
sitting Ivanka next to Justice Kennedy—“Inside the White House’s Quiet Campaign to Create a Supreme Court Opening,” New York Times.
Ivanka also visited Justice Kennedy—Ibid.
talking to Justice Kennedy—Ibid.
author David Enrich writes in his book—David Enrich, Dark Towers: Deutsche Bank, Donald Trump, and an Epic Trail of Destruction (Custom House, 2020).
Two law professors evaluated—“It’s Hard to Find a Federal Judge More Conservative than Brett Kavanaugh,” Washington Post, September 5, 2018.
The Trump vetting team also had access—“From the Bench: Judge Brett Kavanaugh on the Constitutional Statesmanship of Chief Justice William Rehnquist,” American Enterprise Institute, September 18, 2017.
After their meeting, Collins issued an extraordinary statement—“Senator Collins Announces She Will Vote to Confirm Judge Kavanaugh,” Senator Susan Collins Press Release, October 5, 2018.
Collins made another extraordinary statement—“Kavanaugh Gave Private Assurances. Collins Says He ‘Misled’ Her,” New York Times, June 24, 2022.
Kavanaugh testified he respected Planned Parenthood v. Casey—“Kavanaugh, Who Told Senate Roe v. Wade Was ‘Settled as Precedent,’ Signals Openness to Overturning Abortion Decision,” Washington Post, December 1, 2021.
Then news leaked in The Intercept—“Dianne Feinstein Withholding Brett Kavanaugh Document from Fellow Judiciary Committee Democrats,” The Intercept, September 12, 2018.
hearings were to be held in only one day—“Dr. Blasey Ford, Judge Kavanaugh to Testify Thursday,” United States Senate Judiciary Committee, September 23, 2018.
Taking the stand under oath—“Full Transcript: Christine Blasey Ford’s Opening Statement to the Senate Judiciary Committee,” Politico, September 26, 2018.
A visibly emotional Kavanaugh—“Confirmation Hearing on the Nomination of Hon. Brett M. Kavanaugh to Be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States,” United States Senate Judiciary Committee, September 4, 5, 6, 7, 27, 2018.
forced the Trump White House—“The FBI Investigation of Kavanaugh Was Doomed from the Start,” Vox, October 5, 2018.
Deborah Ramirez, a Yale classmate—“Senate Democrats Investigate a New Allegation of Sexual Misconduct, from Brett Kavanaugh’s College Years,” The New Yorker, September 23, 2018.
“I liked beer”—“Confirmation Hearing on the Nomination of Hon. Brett M. Kavanaugh to Be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States,” United States Senate Judiciary Committee, September 4, 5, 6, 7, 27, 2018.
Ford’s live testimony came across—“Full transcript: Christine Blasey Ford’s Opening Statement to the Senate Judiciary Committee,” Politico.
Timothy Don, a friend—“I Went to Georgetown Prep and Knew Mark Judge—and I Believe Christine Blasey Ford,” The Nation, October 5, 2018.
following a similar playbook—Author interview.
who dismissed the Ford allegations—“Mark Judge Tells Senate He ‘Has No Memory of Alleged’ Incident with Kavanaugh,” CNN, September 19, 2018.
New York’s Chuck Schumer pointedly asked—“Brett Kavanaugh’s Friend Mark Judge Breaks Silence About Alleged Sexual Assault Incident but Says He Will Not Testify,” Business Insider, September 18, 2018.
Don observed recently—Author interview.
Judge, later a conservative writer—“Mark Judge,” The Daily Caller.
wrote a memoir about his heavy drinking—Mark Judge, A Tremor of Bliss: Sex, Catholicism, and Rock ’n’ Roll (Doubleday Religion, 2010).
Kavanaugh defender Ed Whelan—“Conservative Pundit Points Finger at Another Man to Deflect from Kavanaugh,” New York Times, September 21, 2018.
Whelan, president of the Ethics & Policy Center—Ibid.
where Leo sits on the board—“Leonard Leo, Architect of Conservative Supreme Court, Takes On Wider Culture,” National Catholic Reporter, January 4, 2024.
quickly shot down by Ford herself—“Conservative Activist Ed Whelan Apologizes for Insinuating a Kavanaugh Doppelgänger Assaulted Ford,” Vox, September 21, 2018.
Jake Tapper of ABC called them—“Kavanaugh Ally’s Bizarre Mistaken Identity Theory About Sexual Assault Accusation Blows Up in His Face,” CNBC, September 21, 2018.
Whelan, clearly fearing Ford might sue—“Conservative Pundit Points Finger at Another Man to Deflect from Kavanaugh,” New York Times.
Charles Ludington, the former basketball player—“Chad Ludington’s Statement on Kavanaugh’s Drinking and Senate Testimony,” New York Times, September 30, 2018.
“I was just watching it”—Author interview.
Ludington called the FBI—Author interview.
In a statement shared with The New York Times—“Chad Ludington’s Statement on Kavanaugh’s Drinking and Senate Testimony,” New York Times.
NBC News and other outlets picked up the story—“Yale Classmate to Tell FBI of Brett Kavanaugh’s ‘Violent Drunken’ Behavior,” NBC News, October 1, 2018.
Ludington said in a recent interview—Author interview.
They were simply forwarded to the Trump White House—“FBI Admits It Got 4,500 Tips on Brett Kavanaugh—Then Punted Them to Trump Team,” The Daily Beast, July 23, 2021.
the White House announced that after reviewing—“White House Finds No Support in FBI Report for Claims Against Kavanaugh,” Wall Street Journal, October 4, 2018.
the FBI belatedly responded to a letter—“After New Details on Kavanaugh Investigation Surface, Senators Call On FBI for Answers on Handling of ‘Tip Line,’ ” Sheldon Whitehouse Press Release, July 22, 2021.
As Ruth Marcus wrote in The Washington Post—“The FBI’s ‘Investigation’ of Kavanaugh Was Laughable,” Washington Post, July 22, 2021.
remembers going to a September 25, 1985, UB40 concert—“Brett Kavanaugh Instigated Bar Fight After UB40 Concert, Police Report Reveals,” Rolling Stone, October 1, 2018.
including one in November 1985—Yale Daily News, November 21, 1985.
Ludington explained, “Mostly I knew him”—Author interview.
especially in the case of an outrageous exchange—“Confirmation Hearing on the Nomination of Hon. Brett M. Kavanaugh to Be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States,” United States Senate Judiciary Committee, September 4, 5, 6, 7, 27, 2018.
Lisa Graves, a former Senate Judiciary Committee staffer—“Lisa Graves: Brett Kavanaugh Is Lying About Drinking, His Yearbook and Dr. Christine Blasey Ford,” Democracy Now!, October 1, 2018.
has authored three books—Charles Ludington and Matthew Morse Booker, Food Fights: How History Matters to Contemporary Food Debates (University of North Carolina Press, 2019).
Looking back on his time knowing Brett Kavanaugh—Author interview.
Kavanaugh had cited Robert Bork—“Confirmation Hearing on the Nomination of Hon. Brett M. Kavanaugh to Be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States,” United States Senate Judiciary Committee, September 4, 5, 6, 7, 27, 2018.
Gallup poll conducted in mid-September 2018—“Opposition to Kavanaugh Had Been Rising Before Accusation,” Gallup, September 18, 2018.
whereas only 38 percent had supported confirmation for Bork—“Initial Views on Kavanaugh Confirmation Divided,” Gallup, July 17, 2018.
As a point of comparison, Obama nominee Merrick Garland—“U.S. Support for Garland Average for Supreme Court Nominees,” Gallup, March 21, 2016.
Retired justice John Paul Stevens—“Retired Justice John Paul Stevens Says Kavanaugh Is Not Fit for Supreme Court,” New York Times, October 4, 2018.
with nearly $15 million—“Secretive Conservative Legal Group Funded by $17 Million Mystery Donor Before Kavanaugh Fight,” OpenSecrets, May 17, 2019.
pushing saccharine blather—“Behind the Dark-Money Web That Put Barrett (and Kavanaugh and Gorsuch) on the Supreme Court,” Salon, March 30, 2021.
Republicans sought to smear Ramirez—“Revealed: Senate Investigation into Brett Kavanaugh Assault Claims Contained Serious Omissions,” The Guardian, April 28, 2023.
there was “no verifiable evidence” to support—Ibid.
New York Times, Stier—“Brett Kavanaugh Fit In with the Privileged Kids. She Did Not,” New York Times, September 14, 2019.
Stier had agreed—“He Wanted Nonpartisan Federal Solutions. Now His Kavanaugh Tip Has Thrust Him into a Partisan Brawl,” Washington Post, September 19, 2019.
he was confirmed 50–48—“Kavanaugh Confirmed: Here’s How Senators Voted,” Politico, October 6, 2018.
The following August a small item appeared—“Protesters Greet Collins Before Fundraiser at Mount Desert Island Home,” Portland Press-Herald, December 27, 2019.
attended by C. Boyden Gray—“Collins Attends Fundraiser at $4m Mansion of Nation’s Top Anti-Choice Judicial Activist,” Maine Beacon, August 8, 2019.
JCN announced that it was launching—“JCN Launches 6-Figure Ad Buy in Maine Thanking Sen. Susan Collins,” Judicial Crisis Network, October 9, 2018.
Kavanaugh had perjured himself—“Document Shows Judge Kavanaugh Misled Durbin Under Oath About His Work on Controversial Judicial Nomination,” Senator Dick Durbin Press Release.
Kavanaugh again lied about his positions—“Confirmation Hearing on the Nomination of Hon. Brett M. Kavanaugh to Be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States,” United States Senate Judiciary Committee, September 4, 5, 6, 7, 27, 2018.
and he lied again, repeatedly—Ibid.
Peter Baker and Maggie Haberman reported—“McConnell Vows Vote on Ginsburg Replacement as Her Death Upends the 2020 Race,” New York Times, September 22, 2020.
“titanic partisan battle”—“McConnell Vows Vote on Ginsburg Replacement as Her Death Upends the 2020 Race,” New York Times.
In an October 2018 interview with PBS—“Leonard Leo Flip-Flops on Trump Filling a Supreme Court Seat in 2020,” Huffington Post, May 31, 2019.
Yet Leo soon began “amending his position”—Ibid.
lining up funds for ad buys—“Judge Amy Coney Barrett Confirmed,” Judicial Crisis Network, 2020.
It was a “cynical attack—“Schumer: A Vote for Judge Amy Coney Barrett Is a Vote to Eliminate Health Care for Millions in the Middle of a Pandemic,” Chuck Schumer Press Release, September 26, 2020.
since she had clashed with Democrats—“Amy Coney Barrett’s Past Calls into Question Her Pledges of Impartiality,” The Guardian, October 26, 2020.
protégée and former clerk—“Amy Coney Barrett, Supreme Court Nominee, is Scalia’s Heir,” Associated Press, September 26, 2020.
she sought to cast herself as an heir—“Supreme Court Nominee Amy Coney Barrett: ‘Judges Are Not Policymakers,’ ” White House Archives, September 29, 2020.
in attendance stood a who’s who—“A ‘View’ from the Rose Garden: The Nine,” SCOTUSblog, September 26, 2020.
Barrett had signed political ads—“Barrett Signed Ad in 2006 Decrying ‘Barbaric Legacy’ of Roe v. Wade, Advocating Overturning the Law,” Washington Post, October 1, 2020.
Trump reportedly told his inner circle—“Donald Trump Already Has Replacement Ready for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s Post: Report,” Washington Times, April 1, 2019.
Bridget Kelly of the Population Institute—“Replacing RBG with a Woman like Amy Coney Barrett Is Beyond Tokenism. It’s an Affront: Opinion,” Newsweek, October 1, 2020.
nominated by Trump in May 2017—“Some Worry About Judicial Nominee’s Ties to a Religious Group,” New York Times, September 28, 2017.
Sheldon Whitehouse said in his speech on auditioning—Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, “The Scheme 13: Auditioning,” March 15, 2022.
UCLA law professor Adam Winkler—“Amy Coney Barrett’s Long Game,” The New Yorker, February 7, 2022.
reporter Margaret Talbot wrote—Ibid.
Barrett was a lifelong member of People of Praise—“Amy Coney Barrett Served as a ‘Handmaid’ in Christian Group People of Praise,” Washington Post, October 6, 2020.
it embraced such intense practices—Ibid.
Mike Coney, offered this description—“February 2018: Mike Coney,” St. Catherine of Siena Parish.
A 2010 directory of People of Praise listed Barrett—“Amy Coney Barrett Served as a ‘Handmaid’ in Christian Group People of Praise,” Washington Post.
A 1986 community handbook—Ibid.
As recently as 2017, Barrett sat on the board—“Head of School Linked to Amy Coney Barrett’s Faith Group Abruptly Resigns,” The Guardian, July 3, 2023.
Tackling the taboo issue head-on—“ ‘The Dogma Lives Loudly Within You’: Revisiting Barrett’s Confirmation Hearing,” New York Times, September 26, 2020.
She wrote a letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee—“Former People of Praise Member Calls on Senators to Allow Her to Testify at Amy Coney Barrett’s Confirmation Hearing,” Newsweek, October 11, 2020.
plot took another turn—“New Role for Amy Coney Barrett’s Father Inside Christian Sect Sparks Controversy,” The Guardian, January 29, 2024.
said a spokesperson for PoP Survivors—Ibid.
She falsely told Feinstein she would—“Amy Coney Barrett Senate Confirmation Hearing Day 2 Transcript,” Rev, October 13, 2020, https://www.rev.com/blog/transcripts/amy-coney-barrett-senate-confirmation-hearing-day-2-transcript.
While Barrett did concede she did not consider Roe—“Former People of Praise Member Calls on Senators to Allow Her to Testify at Amy Coney Barrett’s Confirmation Hearing,” Newsweek.
Meanwhile, right-wing dark-money groups—“Judge Amy Coney Barrett Confirmed,” Judicial Crisis Network.
Senator Josh Hawley gave up the game—“Hawley Meets with Barrett, Won’t Ask Whether She’d Overturn Roe v. Wade,” Kansas City Star, October 1, 2020.
Hawaii’s Mazie Hirono retorted—“Amy Coney Barrett Senate Confirmation Hearing Day 2 Transcript,” Rev.
Barrett was very narrowly confirmed, 52–48—“Amy Coney Barrett Confirmed to Supreme Court, Takes Constitutional Oath,” National Public Radio, October 26, 2020.
79.9 years, as of 2020—“Hawaii Tops List of the 10 U.S. States Where Residents Can Expect to Live the Longest,” CNBC, August 29, 2022.
they did so by a wide margin—“Ohio Election Results 2023,” New York Times.
efforts to restrict abortion access—“Tracking Abortion Bans Across the Country,” New York Times.
staked out a position on the stump—“Trump Calls DeSantis Abortion Ban ‘a Terrible Mistake,’ Sparking Anger from Some Key Republicans,” Associated Press, September 18, 2023.
man who believes God speaks to him directly—“Mike Johnson Claims That God Prepared Him to Be a ‘New Moses,’ ” Slate, December 7, 2023.
former Alito clerk J. Joel Alicea—“Dobbs and the Fate of the Conservative Legal Movement,” City Journal, Winter 2022.
originally founded in 1993 in Phoenix, Arizona—Associated Press, “Coalition Raising Funds for ‘Values,’ ” Fort Worth Star-Telegram, December 10, 1993. Accessed via newspapers.com.
Alan Sears, who would go on to coauthor—Alan Sears and Craig Osten, The Homosexual Agenda: Exposing the Principal Threat to Religious Freedom Today (B&H Books, 2003).
characterized by the Southern Poverty Law Center—“ ‘Religious Liberty’ and the Anti-LGBT Right,” Southern Poverty Law Center, February 11, 2016.
As The New Republic put it—“How Leonard Leo Became the Power Broker of the American Right,” The New Republic, July 11, 2022.
As Politico reported in December 2023—“ ‘Plain Historical Falsehoods’: How Amicus Briefs Bolstered Supreme Court Conservatives,” Politico, December 3, 2023.
Ms. magazine, attempting to follow the money—“The Dark Money Fight Against Abortion Access,” Ms. magazine, June 23, 2023.
the Gestational Age Act—“What to Know About the Mississippi Abortion Law Challenging Roe v. Wade,” New York Times, May 6, 2022.
a law that ADF staff attorneys helped draft—“Inside the Tactics That Won Christian Vendors the Right to Reject Gay Weddings,” Washington Post, September 28, 2023.
ADF attorneys were also closely involved—Ibid.
Mississippi solicitor general Scott Stewart—Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, 19-1392, Oyez.
As Justice Sonia Sotomayor—“Sotomayor Suggests Overturning Roe Would Cause SCOTUS Decisions to Appear Political,” Newsweek, December 1, 2021.
When a draft of Samuel Alito’s majority decision—“Read Justice Alito’s Initial Draft Abortion Opinion Which Would Overturn Roe v. Wade,” Politico, May 2, 2022.
Alito asserted in the draft—Ibid.
University of Illinois law professor Leslie J. Reagan—“Opinion: What Alito Gets Wrong About the History of Abortion in America,” Politico Magazine, June 2, 2022.
excoriated not only the Dobbs decision—“Behind the Scenes at the Dismantling of Roe v. Wade,” New York Times, December 15, 2023.
Expanding on the point—Richard Re, Should Gradualism Have Prevailed in Dobbs? (Oxford University Press, 2024).
The Journal urged the two possibly wavering justices—“Abortion and the Supreme Court,” Wall Street Journal, April 26, 2022.
Aaron Tang, a law professor—“Did the Supreme Court’s Leak Investigation Let the Justices off the Hook?,” New York Times, January 20, 2023.
New York Times report—“Former Anti-Abortion Leader Alleges Another Supreme Court Breach,” New York Times, November 19, 2022.
According to the Times—Ibid.
Alito or his wife had told conservative donors—Ibid.
testifying in December 2022—“Hearing on Politics and the Supreme Court,” C-SPAN, December 8, 2022.
quixotic efforts to work with Justice Stephen Breyer—“5 Takeaways from Inside the Overturning of Roe v. Wade,” New York Times, December 15, 2023.
Breyer, in an interview for his book—“Former Justice Stephen Breyer Reflects on ‘Unfortunate’ Supreme Court Leak Before Dobbs Abortion Ruling,” NBC News, March 22, 2024.
Roberts had directed the marshal—“Roberts Orders Leak Investigation as Court Confirms Authenticity of Draft Opinion,” SCOTUSblog, May 3, 2022.
Supreme Court justices themselves were apparently not subjected—“Inside the Supreme Court Inquiry: Seized Phones, Affidavits and Distrust,” New York Times, January 21, 2023.
Curley, responding to a media furor—“Statement from Marshal Gail A. Curley,” United States Supreme Court, January 20, 2023.
former Supreme court clerk Daniel Epps—“Supreme Court Says It Can’t Determine Who Leaked Draft Dobbs Opinion,” Washington Post, January 19, 2023.
The Hill was particularly excoriating—“What Happened to the Investigation into the Dobbs Draft Leak?,” The Hill, December 3, 2022.
Roberts had the court issue a statement—“Supreme Court Press Release,” United States Supreme Court, May 3, 2022.
right is not “deeply rooted”—Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, 19-1932, Oyez.
made a highly unusual move at one point—“Five Takeaways from the Dobbs v. Jackson Oral Arguments,” Alliance for Justice, December 6, 2021.
Stewart argued in Mississippi’s main brief—“Behind the Scenes at the Dismantling of Roe v. Wade,” New York Times.
The month that Stewart brief was filed—Ibid.
As The New York Times reported—Ibid.
polls showed women didn’t believe—“Broader Support for Abortion Rights Continues Post-Dobbs,” Gallup, June 14, 2023.
Representative Ted Lieu said in a tweet—“Post from @tedlieu,” X, May 7, 2022.
At least twenty-one states with Republican leadership—“Tracking Abortion Bans Across the Country,” New York Times.
Thirteen states had so-called trigger laws—“What Is a Trigger Law? And Which States Have Them?,” New York Times, May 4, 2022.
Another nine states had never repealed—“With Roe v. Wade Overturned, Here’s Where Things Stand with ‘Trigger’ Laws and Pre-Roe Bans,” NBC News, June 24, 2022.
Several states adopted, or began to enforce—“Where Abortion Law Stands in Every State a Year After the Supreme Court Overturned Roe,” Associated Press, June 22, 2023.
As of December 2023, fully twenty-one states—“Tracking Abortion Bans Across the Country,” New York Times.
an Idaho woman who took to TikTok—“Idaho Woman Shares 19-Day Miscarriage on TikTok.”
Heartbreaking stories from Texas—“Denied Abortion for a Doomed Pregnancy, She Tells Texas Court: ‘There Was No Mercy.’ ” National Public Radio, July 20, 2023.
Amanda Zurawski of Austin, Texas, testified—“Texas Woman Denied an Abortion Tells Senators She ‘Nearly Died on Their Watch,’ ” CNN, April 26, 2023.
polling firm PerryUndem found that voters—“Why Democracy Hasn’t Settled the Abortion Question,” New York Times, December 17, 2023.
Kate Zernike wrote in The New York Times—Ibid.
Dobbs made abortion a major issue—“ ‘The Central Issue’: How the Fall of Roe v. Wade Shook the 2022 Election,” Politico, December 19, 2022.
Exit polls attributed the Democratic surge—“Inflation and Abortion Lead the List of Voter Concerns, Edging Out Crime, NBC News Exit Poll Finds,” NBC News, November 8, 2022.
They showed voters highly motivated by Dobbs—“Abortion Access Proved to Be a Powerful Force in 2022 Midterm Elections,” CBS News, November 11, 2022.
A clear majority of all Americans disapproved—“Majority of Public Disapproves of Supreme Court’s Decision to Overturn Roe v. Wade,” Gallup, July 6, 2022.
approval ratings of the court hit a record low—“Views of Supreme Court Remain Near Record Lows,” Gallup, September 29, 2023.
Dan Balz wrote in The Washington Post—“Dobbs Changed Abortion Politics. One Year Later, It’s Still Potent,” Washington Post, June 24, 2023.
disapprove of the Supreme Court by 73 percent—“Is Democracy in the U.S. Working? It’s a Toss-Up, but Voters Don’t See It Ending in Their Lifetimes, Quinnipiac University National Poll Finds; 51% Support House Bill That Could Lead to TikTok Ban, 2024 Race: Biden vs. Trump Too-Close-to-Call,” Quinnipiac University Poll, March 27, 2024.
Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut—“Democratic Senator: GOP Will ‘100 Percent’ Pass National Abortion Ban with Control of Congress,” The Hill, July 17, 2023.
Securities and Exchange Commission could lead—Securities and Exchange Commission v. Jarkesy, 20-61007, SCOTUSblog.
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau in its crosshairs—Consumer Financial Protection Bureau v. Community Financial Services Association of America, Limited, 21-50826, SCOTUSblog.
right-wing-dominated Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals—“The Supreme Court Will Decide If a Whole Federal Agency Is Unconstitutional,” Vox, February 27, 2023.
articulated his new standard writing—New York State Rifle & Pistol Association, Inc. v. Bruen, 597 U.S. ___ (2022),” Justia U.S. Supreme Court Center.
As Politico noted, highlighting the obtuseness—“Clarence Thomas Created a Confusing New Rule That’s Gutting Gun Laws,” Politico Magazine, July 28, 2023.
from the right-wing Fifth Circuit—United States v. Rahimi, American Civil Liberties Union, September 13, 2023.
As the Brennan Center succinctly pointed out—“Second Amendment Meets Domestic Violence in the Supreme Court,” Brennan Center for Justice, November 3, 2023.
involving the federal government’s approval of mifepristone—“Justices Will Review Lower-Court Ruling on Access to Abortion Pill,” SCOTUSblog, December 13, 2023.
A new right-wing organization formed as an umbrella group—“New SCOTUS Anti-Abortion Case Forced to High Court by Leo, Far-Right Orgs,” Accountable.us, December 13, 2023.
The group was secretly funded by Leonard Leo—“Dark Money Is Flowing to Groups Trying to Limit Medication Abortion. Leonard Leo Is Again at the Center,” The 19th, January 4, 2024.
The money trail began with the Catholic Association Foundation—Ibid.
Matthew Kacsmaryk, a Trump appointee—Ibid.
founded a lawyers chapter in Fort Worth—“Federal Judge at Center of FDA Abortion Drug Case Has History with Conservative Causes,” Texas Tribune, March 15, 2023.
He ruled that the FDA—“Dark Money Is Flowing to Groups Trying to Limit Medication Abortion,” The 19th.
antiobscenity law from 1873—“Takeaways from the Supreme Court Arguments over the Abortion Drug Mifepristone,” CNN, March 27, 2024.
the Chicago financier and antiabortion activist Barre Seid—“How a Secretive Billionaire Handed His Fortune to the Architect of the Right-Wing Takeover of the Courts,” ProPublica, August 22, 2022.
Leo told The New York Times—“Leonard Leo Pushed the Courts Right. Now He’s Aiming at American Society,” New York Times, October 12, 2022.
As Cardozo Law School professor Kate Shaw—“Supreme Court Gavels in 2023 with Major Decisions Ahead,” ABC News, January 10, 2023.
issued Executive Order 14023—“Presidential Commission on the Supreme Court of the United States,” The White House.
Wall Street Journal editorial page immediately branded—“Biden Commissions the Supreme Court,” Wall Street Journal, April 9, 2021.
As Epps himself observed in a Washington Post column—“Major Supreme Court Reform Is Unlikely. But These Changes Would Be a Good Start,” Washington Post, July 15, 2021.
March 1937 Fireside Chat radio address—“March 9, 1937: Fireside Chat 9: On ‘Court-Packing,’ ” University of Virginia, Miller Center.
which struck them as a power grab—“1937 Democrats Had the Best Response to Court-Packing,” National Review, April 13, 2021.
As Biden’s Supreme Court Commission wrote—Presidential Commission on the Supreme Court of the United States, Final Report, December 2021.
Congressman Hank Johnson introduced—“H.R.2584—Judiciary Act of 2021,” United States Congress, 117th Session.
Ro Khanna of California, a creative thinker, introduced—“H.R.5140—Supreme Court Term Limits and Regular Appointments Act of 2021,” United States Congress, 117th Session.
Sheldon Whitehouse introduced a Senate bill—“S.359—Supreme Court Ethics, Recusal, and Transparency Act of 2023,” United States Congress, 118th Session.
Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut also introduced—“S.325—Supreme Court Ethics Act,” United States Congress, 118th Session.
In May 2023, Senator Ed Markey reintroduced—“S.1616—Judiciary Act of 2023,” United States Congress, 118th Session.
the sponsors noted—“Bush, Johnson, Markey, Smith, Schiff Announce Legislation to Expand Supreme Court,” Congresswoman Cori Bush Press Release, May 16, 2023.
As The Washington Post wrote—“Biden’s Supreme Court Commission Endorses Final Report Noting Bipartisan Public Support for Term Limits,” Washington Post, December 7, 2021.
offered devastating support—Presidential Commission on the Supreme Court of the United States, Final Report, December 2021.
the two wrote in a December 2021—“Opinion: The Supreme Court Isn’t Well. The Only Hope for a Cure Is More Justices,” Washington Post, December 9, 2021.
The court issued a statement explaining—“Statement of the Court Regarding the Code of Conduct,” United States Supreme Court, November 13, 2023.
Supreme Court did, theoretically at least—“Code of Conduct for United States Judges,” United States Courts.
for example in this provision—“Statement of the Court Regarding the Code of Conduct,” United States Supreme Court.
his own wife was an acknowledged co-conspirator—See Appendix.
Here was the language the Supreme Court unveiled—“Statement of the Court Regarding the Code of Conduct,” United States Supreme Court.
Politico made a point on many minds—“Embattled Supreme Court Adopts Code of Conduct,” Politico, November 13, 2023.
Simon Lazarus argued that seen in the broader context—“Liberals Are Wrong to Trash the Supreme Court’s New Code of Ethics,” The New Republic, November 30, 2023.
“They don’t give a damn”: Author interview.
He stated at the time—“When John Roberts Wants Things Done, He Acts. What That Means for Ethics Rules,” CNN, September 1, 2023.
Roberts in 2007 pulled in only a paltry $212,100—“Judicial Compensation,” United States Courts.
agreeing that it would be “awkward”—“At the Supreme Court, Ethics Questions over a Spouse’s Business Ties,” New York Times, January 31, 2023.
according to information revealed—“Jane Roberts, Who Is Married to Chief Justice John Roberts, Made $10.3 Million in Commissions from Elite Law Firms, Whistleblower Documents Show,” Business Insider, April 28, 2023.
Kendal Price, the whistleblower—Ibid.
he spurned a request—“Chief Justice Roberts Declines to Testify About Ethics Before Senate Judiciary Committee,” CBS News, April 25, 2023.
included with his letter to Durbin—Ibid.
was already framing the issue—“I Spent 7 Months Studying Supreme Court Reform. We Need to Pack the Court Now,” Time, December 10, 2021.
says Senator Ed Markey, cosponsor—“Democrats Reintroduce Supreme Court Expansion Legislation,” The Hill, May 16, 2023.
a 2023 poll by the University of Massachusetts Amherst—“Majority of Americans Support Supreme Court Reforms, Including Term Limits and Ethics Requirements, According to New UMass Amherst Poll,” University of Massachusetts Amherst, June 16, 2023.
A 2022 Associated Press–NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll—“AP-NORC Poll: 2 in 3 in US Favor Term Limits for Justices,” AP-NORC, July 25, 2022.
The average American life expectancy—Data from United Nations—World Population Prospects.
Larry Sabato noted—Author interview.
Ginni Thomas, wife—“Virginia Thomas Urged White House Chief to Pursue Unrelenting Efforts to Overturn the 2020 Election, Texts Show,” Washington Post, March 24, 2022.
Thomas had texted Meadows—See Appendix.
she forwarded a YouTube link—See Appendix.
best known up to then for pushing the conspiracy theory—“Ginni Thomas’ Election Fraud Guru Claims He Arrested Pope,” The Daily Beast, March 25, 2022.
burbling to Meadows in the same text—See Appendix.
she wrote Meadows a straightforward directive—See Appendix.
On November 10, having apparently exercised—See Appendix.
Nancy Schulze, cochair—“Videos Show Closed-Door Sessions of Leading Conservative Activists: ‘Be Not Afraid of the Accusations That You’re a Voter Suppressor,’ ” Washington Post, October 14, 2020.
Trump lost the popular vote—According to the Federal Election Commission, Biden finished with a record 81,268,924 votes, 51.31 percent of the total, to 74,216,154 for Trump.
Here was Meadows’s reply—See Appendix.
verbatim, was Thomas’s response—See Appendix.
the night of November 10—See Appendix.
In particular, a text from Connie Hair—See Appendix.
Fox News had called Arizona for Biden—“Fox News and AP Scrutinized for Projecting Arizona While Other Outlets Hold Off,” CNN, November 5, 2020.
chief of staff to House Freedom Caucus—See Appendix.
Thomas forwarded it to Meadows—See Appendix.
As Hair’s Louisiana Freedom Caucus State Chair bio reads—State Freedom Caucus Network.
nursing imagined grievance—See Appendix.
Hair wrote and Ginni Thomas forwarded—See Appendix.
Hair’s boss Gohmert would echo—“Capitol Police Intelligence Analysts Worried a Member of Congress Was Actually Encouraging Violence in the Days Leading Up to the January 6 Attack: Louie Gohmert,” Politico, January 5, 2022.
Sheila Jackson Lee later said during—United States House Judiciary Committee meeting, December 8, 2022.
who as a University of Virginia law student—Ibid.
Ginni Thomas’s role in January 6—Ibid.
Denver Riggleman, the head of the data team—Author interview.
the linking of all three branches of government—Author interview.
Riggleman says it was—Author interview.
Former Clarence Thomas aide Armstrong Williams—“Party On, Judge,” Kansas City Star, October 1, 2007. Accessed via newspapers.com.
As Williams wrote at the time in The Hill—“Vice President Cheney,” The Hill, October 10, 2007.
even Trump called her schemes “crazy”—“January 6 Report Reveals Trump Laughed About Sidney Powell’s ‘Crazy’ Election Fraud Claims,” The Independent, December 23, 2022.
Lee wrote Meadows at 10:23 p.m.—“Read: Mark Meadows’ Texts with Mike Lee and Chip Roy,” CNN, April 15, 2022.
Ginni Thomas herself would push Sidney Powell—See Appendix.
Meadows received a text—Original reporting for this book.
Not only would Farris draft the legal brief Texas—“Christian Conservative Lawyer Had Secretive Role in Bid to Block Election Result,” New York Times, October 7, 2021.
Farris would also recruit—Original reporting for this book.
Farris grew up a Baptist—“Liquor Ban Plea Fails,” Spokesman-Review, October 3, 1976. Accessed via newspapers.com.
A political science major at Western Washington University—“Leadership,” Patrick Henry College.
he harangued the Spokane City Council—“Liquor Ban Plea Fails,” Spokesman-Review.
In 1983 he moved from a Washington State leadership post—Associated Press, “Ex-Moral Majority Leader in New Area,” Spokane Chronicle, January 2, 1985. Accessed via newspapers.com.
Farris left the Moral Majority—Ibid.
Republicans and Democrats were all the same—Ibid.
Farris founded the Home School Legal Defense Association—“Leadership,” Patrick Henry College.
he cofounded a group called the Convention of States Project—“Michael Farris, Convention of States Co-Founder and Senior Advisor,” Convention of States Project, January 12, 2023.
a campaign summed up in a Richmond Times-Dispatch—“Effort Seeks to Reset Course for America,” Richmond Times-Dispatch, January 19, 2014.
Farris served as CEO of Alliance Defending Freedom—“Michael Farris,” Alliance Defending Freedom.
submitted on December 9—“Motion of Donald J. Trump, President of the United States, to Intervene in His Personal Capacity as Candidate for Re-Election, Proposed Bill of Complaint in Intervention, and Brief in Support of Motion to Intervene,” December 9, 2020.
“Prayer for Relief”—Ibid.
As Reuters reported, the Supreme Court—Reuters, “U.S. Supreme Court Rejects Texas Lawsuit Seeking to Undo Trump Election Loss,” Yahoo News, December 11, 2020.
often called “The Coup Memos”—“Who Is ‘Coup Memo’ Author John Eastman and What Role Did He Play in Pushing Trump’s Plan to Derail Democracy?,” The Independent, June 17, 2022.
In a tell of how weak an argument—“Read: Trump Lawyer’s Memo on Six-Step Plan for Pence to Overturn the Election,” CNN, September 21, 2021.
the data investigative team found its moves—Original for the book.
she referenced a conversation—See Appendix.
Shortly before 10 p.m.—See Appendix.
Clarence Thomas himself emphasized—“Defiant Clarence Thomas Fires Back,” Politico, February 27, 2011.
she repeatedly claims to have no memory—Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the U.S. Capitol, U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, DC, Interview of Virginia L. Thomas, September 29, 2022.
in a momentary flash of honesty—Ibid.
The “best friend” remark?—Ibid.
she continued in the “best friend” text—See Appendix.
Ankush Khardori argued—“Ginni Thomas Is a Victim of Donald Trump’s Alleged Crimes,” Politico Magazine, December 21, 2023.
Former Clinton administration official Robert Reich—Robert Reich, Twitter, January 3, 2024, 3:22 p.m.
New York congressman Dan Goldman—“Congressman Dan Goldman Demands Justice Clarence Thomas Recuse Himself from Upcoming Colorado Ballot Case,” Press Release, January 5, 2024.
advocating for the impeachment of Thomas—“David Brock Penned Memo on Impeaching Clarence Thomas,” Politico, September 1, 2015.
was pegged to a new interview in The New York Times—“Ex-Companion Details ‘Real’ Thomas,” New York Times, October 22, 2010.
Thomas categorically denied—“Nomination of Judge Clarence Thomas to Be Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States,” United States Senate Judiciary Committee, Part 4, October 11, 12, 13, 1991.
In August 2022, I published an op-ed—“Opinion: David Brock Believed in Clarence Thomas. Now He Wants Him Impeached,” Huffington Post, September 16, 2022.
At the time, Ginni Thomas was serving—“A Rare Peek Inside the Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy,” The New Republic, August 26, 2022.
Clarence Thomas was the sole dissenter—“Fact Check: Was Clarence Thomas Lone Dissenter on Trump Jan. 6 Documents?,” Newsweek, June 17, 2022.
Federal law says judges and justices must recuse—“Code of Conduct for United States Judges,” United States Courts.
Harvard Law professor Laurence Tribe concluded—“What Clarence Thomas Did Was Illegal Says Laurence Tribe,” MSNBC via YouTube, March 29, 2022.
In 2011, seventy-four House Democrats—“Dems: Thomas Should Recuse Himself,” Politico, February 9, 2011.
Ginni Thomas was a highly paid lobbyist—Ibid.
Thomas also failed to recuse himself—“Is Ginni Thomas a Threat to the Supreme Court?,” The New Yorker, January 21, 2022.
according to The New Yorker—Ibid.
Thomas also ran afoul of the law—“Clarence Thomas Has for Years Claimed Income from a Defunct Real Estate Firm,” Washington Post, April 16, 2023.
The Ethics in Government Act requires—“S.555—Ethics in Government Act,” United States Congress, 95th Congress.
University of Colorado law professor Paul Campos—“Clarence Thomas’ Criminal Behavior on Financial Disclosure,” The Daily Beast, July 13, 2017.
Thomas’s self-justification—“Clarence Thomas Defends Undisclosed ‘Family Trips’ with GOP Megadonor. Here Are the Facts,” ProPublica, April 7, 2023.