#federalist — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #federalist, aggregated by home.social.
-
“Monarchs will often make war” 👑💣 John Jay / Federalist #4 (1787)
Dire warnings, from a time of discord & disunion... -
“Monarchs will often make war” 👑💣 John Jay / Federalist #4 (1787)
Dire warnings, from a time of discord & disunion... -
“Monarchs will often make war” 👑💣 John Jay / Federalist #4 (1787)
Dire warnings, from a time of discord & disunion... -
“Monarchs will often make war” 👑💣 John Jay / Federalist #4 (1787)
Dire warnings, from a time of discord & disunion... -
Oliver was replying to a post by Sean Davis, the CEO and co-founder of the right-wing media outlet The Federalist, which advocated illegal defiance of the Supreme Court’s decision. […]
“Nullification,” Davis wrote. “States issue birth certificates, and they can just stop issuing them to non-citizens. Roberts/Barrett can deal with the fallout and litigate each birth individually.”
He also suggested, “Pack the court. If Robert wants to be a politician who writes laws instead of a judge, then he can fight with 10 more unelected legislators in robes.”
This last past is especially rich from “Federalist” Davis, on a strict reading of the text of the Constitution as written [points and laughs] but have no fear, he’s unmasking his true self ever more with each odious post.
Via: https://www.alternet.org/trump-supreme-court-immigration/
-
Oliver was replying to a post by Sean Davis, the CEO and co-founder of the right-wing media outlet The Federalist, which advocated illegal defiance of the Supreme Court’s decision. […]
“Nullification,” Davis wrote. “States issue birth certificates, and they can just stop issuing them to non-citizens. Roberts/Barrett can deal with the fallout and litigate each birth individually.”
He also suggested, “Pack the court. If Robert wants to be a politician who writes laws instead of a judge, then he can fight with 10 more unelected legislators in robes.”
This last past is especially rich from “Federalist” Davis, on a strict reading of the text of the Constitution as written [points and laughs] but have no fear, he’s unmasking his true self ever more with each odious post.
Via: https://www.alternet.org/trump-supreme-court-immigration/
-
Oliver was replying to a post by Sean Davis, the CEO and co-founder of the right-wing media outlet The Federalist, which advocated illegal defiance of the Supreme Court’s decision. […]
“Nullification,” Davis wrote. “States issue birth certificates, and they can just stop issuing them to non-citizens. Roberts/Barrett can deal with the fallout and litigate each birth individually.”
He also suggested, “Pack the court. If Robert wants to be a politician who writes laws instead of a judge, then he can fight with 10 more unelected legislators in robes.”
This last past is especially rich from “Federalist” Davis, on a strict reading of the text of the Constitution as written [points and laughs] but have no fear, he’s unmasking his true self ever more with each odious post.
Via: https://www.alternet.org/trump-supreme-court-immigration/
-
Oliver was replying to a post by Sean Davis, the CEO and co-founder of the right-wing media outlet The Federalist, which advocated illegal defiance of the Supreme Court’s decision. […]
“Nullification,” Davis wrote. “States issue birth certificates, and they can just stop issuing them to non-citizens. Roberts/Barrett can deal with the fallout and litigate each birth individually.”
He also suggested, “Pack the court. If Robert wants to be a politician who writes laws instead of a judge, then he can fight with 10 more unelected legislators in robes.”
This last past is especially rich from “Federalist” Davis, on a strict reading of the text of the Constitution as written [points and laughs] but have no fear, he’s unmasking his true self ever more with each odious post.
Via: https://www.alternet.org/trump-supreme-court-immigration/
-
Screenshots = excerpts that will disappoint the #EU #federalist "🇪🇺 must first build the capacity to defend itself with less reliance on 🇺🇲 before it can seriously contemplate the possibility of 🇺🇲 obstruction"... hmm why not prepare for the worst while hoping for the best again? Worrying to read this
RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:ghkzfuzocm533ayg5s5xbrjg/post/3mnnh6dt6rc2k -
Screenshots = excerpts that will disappoint the #EU #federalist "🇪🇺 must first build the capacity to defend itself with less reliance on 🇺🇲 before it can seriously contemplate the possibility of 🇺🇲 obstruction"... hmm why not prepare for the worst while hoping for the best again? Worrying to read this
RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:ghkzfuzocm533ayg5s5xbrjg/post/3mnnh6dt6rc2k -
#Drumpf #DOJ legal attacks on #SPLC not unexpected, but blaming non-profit anti-racist org for decades of #KKK and other nefarious #racist activist organizing activities is latest low in #Federalist fascist fuckery ...
https://www.commoncause.org/press/common-cause-dojs-attack-on-splc-part-of-campaign-of-intimidation/
-
#Drumpf #DOJ legal attacks on #SPLC not unexpected, but blaming non-profit anti-racist org for decades of #KKK and other nefarious #racist activist organizing activities is latest low in #Federalist fascist fuckery ...
https://www.commoncause.org/press/common-cause-dojs-attack-on-splc-part-of-campaign-of-intimidation/
-
@grrlscientist " in the last resort, a remedy must be obtained
from the people, who can, by the election of
more faithful representatives, annul the acts
of the usurpers " -- "The Federalist," number 44, by James Madison -
@grrlscientist " in the last resort, a remedy must be obtained
from the people, who can, by the election of
more faithful representatives, annul the acts
of the usurpers " -- "The Federalist," number 44, by James Madison -
@grrlscientist " in the last resort, a remedy must be obtained
from the people, who can, by the election of
more faithful representatives, annul the acts
of the usurpers " -- "The Federalist," number 44, by James Madison -
@grrlscientist " in the last resort, a remedy must be obtained
from the people, who can, by the election of
more faithful representatives, annul the acts
of the usurpers " -- "The Federalist," number 44, by James Madison -
Pentagon Proudly Announces Its New Stable Of Propagandists
-
Pentagon Proudly Announces Its New Stable Of Propagandists
-
Pentagon Proudly Announces Its New Stable Of Propagandists
-
Pentagon Proudly Announces Its New Stable Of Propagandists
-
Every Legitimate News Agency Leaves The Pentagon Rather Than Agree To Act As Pete Hegseth’s Stenographer
-
Every Legitimate News Agency Leaves The Pentagon Rather Than Agree To Act As Pete Hegseth’s Stenographer
-
Every Legitimate News Agency Leaves The Pentagon Rather Than Agree To Act As Pete Hegseth’s Stenographer
-
Every Legitimate News Agency Leaves The Pentagon Rather Than Agree To Act As Pete Hegseth’s Stenographer
-
While every liberal is toasting #NoKings day as an affront to #Drumpf
#ProPublica , Politico and others concede that the nation's actual cut throat commander in brief and deed is hardcore #RWNJ and avowed #ChristianNationalist #Federalist feudalist #OMB strategist #RussVought
Under his direction, the US has cut billions in so-called #humanitarian federal spending on things that irked #Libertarians like the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and even #PresidentReagan's own initiatives like our now defunded #NGO created under his tutelage known as the #InstituteofPeace
https://www.youtube.com/embed/w1LuV82l0vs
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/10/18/the-king-of-the-shutdown-00614718
-
While every liberal is toasting #NoKings day as an affront to #Drumpf
#ProPublica , Politico and others concede that the nation's actual cut throat commander in brief and deed is hardcore #RWNJ and avowed #ChristianNationalist #Federalist feudalist #OMB strategist #RussVought
Under his direction, the US has cut billions in so-called #humanitarian federal spending on things that irked #Libertarians like the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and even #PresidentReagan's own initiatives like our now defunded #NGO created under his tutelage known as the #InstituteofPeace
https://www.youtube.com/embed/w1LuV82l0vs
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/10/18/the-king-of-the-shutdown-00614718
-
While every liberal is toasting #NoKings day as an affront to #Drumpf
#ProPublica , Politico and others concede that the nation's actual cut throat commander in brief and deed is hardcore #RWNJ and avowed #ChristianNationalist #Federalist feudalist #OMB strategist #RussVought
Under his direction, the US has cut billions in so-called #humanitarian federal spending on things that irked #Libertarians like the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and even #PresidentReagan's own initiatives like our now defunded #NGO created under his tutelage known as the #InstituteofPeace
https://www.youtube.com/embed/w1LuV82l0vs
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/10/18/the-king-of-the-shutdown-00614718
-
While every liberal is toasting #NoKings day as an affront to #Drumpf
#ProPublica , Politico and others concede that the nation's actual cut throat commander in brief and deed is hardcore #RWNJ and avowed #ChristianNationalist #Federalist feudalist #OMB strategist #RussVought
Under his direction, the US has cut billions in so-called #humanitarian federal spending on things that irked #Libertarians like the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and even #PresidentReagan's own initiatives like our now defunded #NGO created under his tutelage known as the #InstituteofPeace
https://www.youtube.com/embed/w1LuV82l0vs
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/10/18/the-king-of-the-shutdown-00614718
-
The courts are helpless not because of #47 - but because of the #Federalist ideologues, especially at #SCOTUS who ruled that "official" acts are privileged abuses of the #Constitution, that may not be challenged, and court orders may not be enforced.
-
The courts are helpless not because of #47 - but because of the #Federalist ideologues, especially at #SCOTUS who ruled that "official" acts are privileged abuses of the #Constitution, that may not be challenged, and court orders may not be enforced.
-
The courts are helpless not because of #47 - but because of the #Federalist ideologues, especially at #SCOTUS who ruled that "official" acts are privileged abuses of the #Constitution, that may not be challenged, and court orders may not be enforced.
-
The courts are helpless not because of #47 - but because of the #Federalist ideologues, especially at #SCOTUS who ruled that "official" acts are privileged abuses of the #Constitution, that may not be challenged, and court orders may not be enforced.
-
@jalefkowit " in the last resort, a remedy must be obtained
from the people, who can, by the election of
more faithful representatives, annul the acts
of the usurpers " -- "The Federalist," number 44, by James Madison -
@jalefkowit " in the last resort, a remedy must be obtained
from the people, who can, by the election of
more faithful representatives, annul the acts
of the usurpers " -- "The Federalist," number 44, by James Madison -
@jalefkowit " in the last resort, a remedy must be obtained
from the people, who can, by the election of
more faithful representatives, annul the acts
of the usurpers " -- "The Federalist," number 44, by James Madison -
@jalefkowit " in the last resort, a remedy must be obtained
from the people, who can, by the election of
more faithful representatives, annul the acts
of the usurpers " -- "The Federalist," number 44, by James Madison -
An hour after staff were informed, Secy of #State #MarcoRubio published a blog announcing the news on the #Federalist, one of the outlets that sued #GEC over allegations of *censorship*. He then discussed in an interview w/ #RightWing Internet personality #MikeBenz plans for #DarrenBeattie to lead a “transparency effort.”
“What we have to do now—& Darren will be big involved in that…is…document what happened…because…people who were harmed deserve to know…,& be able to prove…they were harmed.”
-
An hour after staff were informed, Secy of #State #MarcoRubio published a blog announcing the news on the #Federalist, one of the outlets that sued #GEC over allegations of *censorship*. He then discussed in an interview w/ #RightWing Internet personality #MikeBenz plans for #DarrenBeattie to lead a “transparency effort.”
“What we have to do now—& Darren will be big involved in that…is…document what happened…because…people who were harmed deserve to know…,& be able to prove…they were harmed.”
-
An hour after staff were informed, Secy of #State #MarcoRubio published a blog announcing the news on the #Federalist, one of the outlets that sued #GEC over allegations of *censorship*. He then discussed in an interview w/ #RightWing Internet personality #MikeBenz plans for #DarrenBeattie to lead a “transparency effort.”
“What we have to do now—& Darren will be big involved in that…is…document what happened…because…people who were harmed deserve to know…,& be able to prove…they were harmed.”
-
An hour after staff were informed, Secy of #State #MarcoRubio published a blog announcing the news on the #Federalist, one of the outlets that sued #GEC over allegations of *censorship*. He then discussed in an interview w/ #RightWing Internet personality #MikeBenz plans for #DarrenBeattie to lead a “transparency effort.”
“What we have to do now—& Darren will be big involved in that…is…document what happened…because…people who were harmed deserve to know…,& be able to prove…they were harmed.”
-
" in the last resort, a remedy must be obtained
from the people, who can, by the election of
more faithful representatives, annul the acts
of the usurpers " -- "The Federalist," number 44, by James Madison -
" in the last resort, a remedy must be obtained
from the people, who can, by the election of
more faithful representatives, annul the acts
of the usurpers " -- "The Federalist," number 44, by James Madison -
" in the last resort, a remedy must be obtained
from the people, who can, by the election of
more faithful representatives, annul the acts
of the usurpers " -- "The Federalist," number 44, by James Madison -
" in the last resort, a remedy must be obtained
from the people, who can, by the election of
more faithful representatives, annul the acts
of the usurpers " -- "The Federalist," number 44, by James Madison -
The Maga legal networks that could 💥topple Planned Parenthood 💥and gut women’s healthcare:
In the second year of Donald Trump’s presidency,
a young lawyer with crisply shorn blond hair approached the podium at a gathering for Texas members of the Federalist Society,
a conservative legal group that wields immense power in the US judicial system.As vice-president of the group’s Fort Worth chapter, #Matthew #Kacsmaryk had the honor of presenting the first speaker.
“We are blessed to have Judge #Edith #Jones,” Kacsmaryk announced.
Jones, a longtime judge on the US fifth circuit court of appeals,
stepped on stage to introduce the evening’s guest, her friend,
the supreme court justice #Clarence #Thomas.
In her introduction, Jones also hailed the four new conservative judges Trump had appointed to join her on the appeals court.“They’ve raised the bar for the fifth circuit since I got on,” she said. “And that’s thanks to the #Federalist #Society, to Leonard.”
#Leonard #Leo needed no last name in his introduction to this crowd
as he took his seat in a black leather chair across from Thomas.The justice was the featured speaker
but Leo may have been the most important person in the American legal system in that room
– a conservative activist who had built the Federalist Society into a political powerhouse
and helped Trump create the supreme court majority that,
in 2022, erased federal protections for abortion.His influence continues to be on display now in one of the most consequential cases moving through the American legal system
– one that seeks to strike another blow to abortion rights
💥and could possibly bankrupt Planned Parenthood,
one of the nation’s leading providers of healthcare for women.It’s a lawsuit that has been filed by an anti-abortion activist tied to Leo and heard by judges
– from the lower courts to the fifth circuit appeals court
– who are also linked to LeoThree of the people on the stage at the Federalist Society event in Fort Worth in 2018
– Kacsmaryk, Jones and Leo
– have all played key roles in the case.Though the stakes in this case couldn’t be higher for one of the nation’s oldest healthcare providers,
it is about more than abortion or healthcare.The lawsuit is a parable about Leo’s power amid a presidential election season
whose outcome will probably determine to what extent Leo will continue to reshape the makeup and ideology of the nation’s courts.The case was filed in February 2021 by an anti-abortion activist
who had conducted what he described as an
“extensive undercover investigation” of the organization.He accuses Planned Parenthood of fraud
– claiming that it owes $1.8bn in fines, fees and reimbursements to the Medicaid program.It’s an amount that could force the 108-year-old nonprofit healthcare provider to shutter clinics across the country.
The lawsuit is titled
"USA v Planned Parenthood"
because it was filed under a federal whistleblower law
that allows citizens to sue on behalf of the US government
over allegations that federal programs have been defrauded.It is the latest in a series of legal actions that started in 2015
after Texas’s health officials used footage from the activist’s hidden-camera recordings as a basis to expel Planned Parenthood from the state’s Medicaid program.The activist and his allies claimed the videos showed Planned Parenthood was illegally selling fetal tissue and endangering pregnant people’s health.
Planned Parenthood repeatedly denied wrongdoing.
Investigations in multiple states triggered by the video resulted in no disciplinary action against the healthcare provider.
The US government
– the source of 90% of the Medicaid funds paid to Planned Parenthood clinics in Texas
– disputes that Planned Parenthood owes the federal government money.Federal officials say in a court filing that they found no evidence that Planned Parenthood had improperly billed for its services
and that they found no reason Planned Parenthood should have been removed from Medicaid.Experts in healthcare law expected the case to be dismissed quickly.
Yet none of these facts are as important to understanding the significance of this case as knowing where it was filed:
in the federal courthouse in Amarillo, Texas
– home to zero Planned Parenthood clinics.This wasn’t an accident.
The US district court in Amarillo is under the purview of the US fifth circuit court of appeals,
making it likely that any upward appeals in Planned Parenthood’s case would be heard in the hard-right appeals court,
including by judges appointed by Trump or other conservative stalwarts like Jones.And by the time the Planned Parenthood case was filed, Kacsmaryk
– that young attorney on stage making introductions at the Federalist Society event in Texas
– had been serving as the federal district court judge for Amarillo for nearly two years. -
The Maga legal networks that could 💥topple Planned Parenthood 💥and gut women’s healthcare:
In the second year of Donald Trump’s presidency,
a young lawyer with crisply shorn blond hair approached the podium at a gathering for Texas members of the Federalist Society,
a conservative legal group that wields immense power in the US judicial system.As vice-president of the group’s Fort Worth chapter, #Matthew #Kacsmaryk had the honor of presenting the first speaker.
“We are blessed to have Judge #Edith #Jones,” Kacsmaryk announced.
Jones, a longtime judge on the US fifth circuit court of appeals,
stepped on stage to introduce the evening’s guest, her friend,
the supreme court justice #Clarence #Thomas.
In her introduction, Jones also hailed the four new conservative judges Trump had appointed to join her on the appeals court.“They’ve raised the bar for the fifth circuit since I got on,” she said. “And that’s thanks to the #Federalist #Society, to Leonard.”
#Leonard #Leo needed no last name in his introduction to this crowd
as he took his seat in a black leather chair across from Thomas.The justice was the featured speaker
but Leo may have been the most important person in the American legal system in that room
– a conservative activist who had built the Federalist Society into a political powerhouse
and helped Trump create the supreme court majority that,
in 2022, erased federal protections for abortion.His influence continues to be on display now in one of the most consequential cases moving through the American legal system
– one that seeks to strike another blow to abortion rights
💥and could possibly bankrupt Planned Parenthood,
one of the nation’s leading providers of healthcare for women.It’s a lawsuit that has been filed by an anti-abortion activist tied to Leo and heard by judges
– from the lower courts to the fifth circuit appeals court
– who are also linked to LeoThree of the people on the stage at the Federalist Society event in Fort Worth in 2018
– Kacsmaryk, Jones and Leo
– have all played key roles in the case.Though the stakes in this case couldn’t be higher for one of the nation’s oldest healthcare providers,
it is about more than abortion or healthcare.The lawsuit is a parable about Leo’s power amid a presidential election season
whose outcome will probably determine to what extent Leo will continue to reshape the makeup and ideology of the nation’s courts.The case was filed in February 2021 by an anti-abortion activist
who had conducted what he described as an
“extensive undercover investigation” of the organization.He accuses Planned Parenthood of fraud
– claiming that it owes $1.8bn in fines, fees and reimbursements to the Medicaid program.It’s an amount that could force the 108-year-old nonprofit healthcare provider to shutter clinics across the country.
The lawsuit is titled
"USA v Planned Parenthood"
because it was filed under a federal whistleblower law
that allows citizens to sue on behalf of the US government
over allegations that federal programs have been defrauded.It is the latest in a series of legal actions that started in 2015
after Texas’s health officials used footage from the activist’s hidden-camera recordings as a basis to expel Planned Parenthood from the state’s Medicaid program.The activist and his allies claimed the videos showed Planned Parenthood was illegally selling fetal tissue and endangering pregnant people’s health.
Planned Parenthood repeatedly denied wrongdoing.
Investigations in multiple states triggered by the video resulted in no disciplinary action against the healthcare provider.
The US government
– the source of 90% of the Medicaid funds paid to Planned Parenthood clinics in Texas
– disputes that Planned Parenthood owes the federal government money.Federal officials say in a court filing that they found no evidence that Planned Parenthood had improperly billed for its services
and that they found no reason Planned Parenthood should have been removed from Medicaid.Experts in healthcare law expected the case to be dismissed quickly.
Yet none of these facts are as important to understanding the significance of this case as knowing where it was filed:
in the federal courthouse in Amarillo, Texas
– home to zero Planned Parenthood clinics.This wasn’t an accident.
The US district court in Amarillo is under the purview of the US fifth circuit court of appeals,
making it likely that any upward appeals in Planned Parenthood’s case would be heard in the hard-right appeals court,
including by judges appointed by Trump or other conservative stalwarts like Jones.And by the time the Planned Parenthood case was filed, Kacsmaryk
– that young attorney on stage making introductions at the Federalist Society event in Texas
– had been serving as the federal district court judge for Amarillo for nearly two years. -
The Maga legal networks that could 💥topple Planned Parenthood 💥and gut women’s healthcare:
In the second year of Donald Trump’s presidency,
a young lawyer with crisply shorn blond hair approached the podium at a gathering for Texas members of the Federalist Society,
a conservative legal group that wields immense power in the US judicial system.As vice-president of the group’s Fort Worth chapter, #Matthew #Kacsmaryk had the honor of presenting the first speaker.
“We are blessed to have Judge #Edith #Jones,” Kacsmaryk announced.
Jones, a longtime judge on the US fifth circuit court of appeals,
stepped on stage to introduce the evening’s guest, her friend,
the supreme court justice #Clarence #Thomas.
In her introduction, Jones also hailed the four new conservative judges Trump had appointed to join her on the appeals court.“They’ve raised the bar for the fifth circuit since I got on,” she said. “And that’s thanks to the #Federalist #Society, to Leonard.”
#Leonard #Leo needed no last name in his introduction to this crowd
as he took his seat in a black leather chair across from Thomas.The justice was the featured speaker
but Leo may have been the most important person in the American legal system in that room
– a conservative activist who had built the Federalist Society into a political powerhouse
and helped Trump create the supreme court majority that,
in 2022, erased federal protections for abortion.His influence continues to be on display now in one of the most consequential cases moving through the American legal system
– one that seeks to strike another blow to abortion rights
💥and could possibly bankrupt Planned Parenthood,
one of the nation’s leading providers of healthcare for women.It’s a lawsuit that has been filed by an anti-abortion activist tied to Leo and heard by judges
– from the lower courts to the fifth circuit appeals court
– who are also linked to LeoThree of the people on the stage at the Federalist Society event in Fort Worth in 2018
– Kacsmaryk, Jones and Leo
– have all played key roles in the case.Though the stakes in this case couldn’t be higher for one of the nation’s oldest healthcare providers,
it is about more than abortion or healthcare.The lawsuit is a parable about Leo’s power amid a presidential election season
whose outcome will probably determine to what extent Leo will continue to reshape the makeup and ideology of the nation’s courts.The case was filed in February 2021 by an anti-abortion activist
who had conducted what he described as an
“extensive undercover investigation” of the organization.He accuses Planned Parenthood of fraud
– claiming that it owes $1.8bn in fines, fees and reimbursements to the Medicaid program.It’s an amount that could force the 108-year-old nonprofit healthcare provider to shutter clinics across the country.
The lawsuit is titled
"USA v Planned Parenthood"
because it was filed under a federal whistleblower law
that allows citizens to sue on behalf of the US government
over allegations that federal programs have been defrauded.It is the latest in a series of legal actions that started in 2015
after Texas’s health officials used footage from the activist’s hidden-camera recordings as a basis to expel Planned Parenthood from the state’s Medicaid program.The activist and his allies claimed the videos showed Planned Parenthood was illegally selling fetal tissue and endangering pregnant people’s health.
Planned Parenthood repeatedly denied wrongdoing.
Investigations in multiple states triggered by the video resulted in no disciplinary action against the healthcare provider.
The US government
– the source of 90% of the Medicaid funds paid to Planned Parenthood clinics in Texas
– disputes that Planned Parenthood owes the federal government money.Federal officials say in a court filing that they found no evidence that Planned Parenthood had improperly billed for its services
and that they found no reason Planned Parenthood should have been removed from Medicaid.Experts in healthcare law expected the case to be dismissed quickly.
Yet none of these facts are as important to understanding the significance of this case as knowing where it was filed:
in the federal courthouse in Amarillo, Texas
– home to zero Planned Parenthood clinics.This wasn’t an accident.
The US district court in Amarillo is under the purview of the US fifth circuit court of appeals,
making it likely that any upward appeals in Planned Parenthood’s case would be heard in the hard-right appeals court,
including by judges appointed by Trump or other conservative stalwarts like Jones.And by the time the Planned Parenthood case was filed, Kacsmaryk
– that young attorney on stage making introductions at the Federalist Society event in Texas
– had been serving as the federal district court judge for Amarillo for nearly two years. -
The Maga legal networks that could 💥topple Planned Parenthood 💥and gut women’s healthcare:
In the second year of Donald Trump’s presidency,
a young lawyer with crisply shorn blond hair approached the podium at a gathering for Texas members of the Federalist Society,
a conservative legal group that wields immense power in the US judicial system.As vice-president of the group’s Fort Worth chapter, #Matthew #Kacsmaryk had the honor of presenting the first speaker.
“We are blessed to have Judge #Edith #Jones,” Kacsmaryk announced.
Jones, a longtime judge on the US fifth circuit court of appeals,
stepped on stage to introduce the evening’s guest, her friend,
the supreme court justice #Clarence #Thomas.
In her introduction, Jones also hailed the four new conservative judges Trump had appointed to join her on the appeals court.“They’ve raised the bar for the fifth circuit since I got on,” she said. “And that’s thanks to the #Federalist #Society, to Leonard.”
#Leonard #Leo needed no last name in his introduction to this crowd
as he took his seat in a black leather chair across from Thomas.The justice was the featured speaker
but Leo may have been the most important person in the American legal system in that room
– a conservative activist who had built the Federalist Society into a political powerhouse
and helped Trump create the supreme court majority that,
in 2022, erased federal protections for abortion.His influence continues to be on display now in one of the most consequential cases moving through the American legal system
– one that seeks to strike another blow to abortion rights
💥and could possibly bankrupt Planned Parenthood,
one of the nation’s leading providers of healthcare for women.It’s a lawsuit that has been filed by an anti-abortion activist tied to Leo and heard by judges
– from the lower courts to the fifth circuit appeals court
– who are also linked to LeoThree of the people on the stage at the Federalist Society event in Fort Worth in 2018
– Kacsmaryk, Jones and Leo
– have all played key roles in the case.Though the stakes in this case couldn’t be higher for one of the nation’s oldest healthcare providers,
it is about more than abortion or healthcare.The lawsuit is a parable about Leo’s power amid a presidential election season
whose outcome will probably determine to what extent Leo will continue to reshape the makeup and ideology of the nation’s courts.The case was filed in February 2021 by an anti-abortion activist
who had conducted what he described as an
“extensive undercover investigation” of the organization.He accuses Planned Parenthood of fraud
– claiming that it owes $1.8bn in fines, fees and reimbursements to the Medicaid program.It’s an amount that could force the 108-year-old nonprofit healthcare provider to shutter clinics across the country.
The lawsuit is titled
"USA v Planned Parenthood"
because it was filed under a federal whistleblower law
that allows citizens to sue on behalf of the US government
over allegations that federal programs have been defrauded.It is the latest in a series of legal actions that started in 2015
after Texas’s health officials used footage from the activist’s hidden-camera recordings as a basis to expel Planned Parenthood from the state’s Medicaid program.The activist and his allies claimed the videos showed Planned Parenthood was illegally selling fetal tissue and endangering pregnant people’s health.
Planned Parenthood repeatedly denied wrongdoing.
Investigations in multiple states triggered by the video resulted in no disciplinary action against the healthcare provider.
The US government
– the source of 90% of the Medicaid funds paid to Planned Parenthood clinics in Texas
– disputes that Planned Parenthood owes the federal government money.Federal officials say in a court filing that they found no evidence that Planned Parenthood had improperly billed for its services
and that they found no reason Planned Parenthood should have been removed from Medicaid.Experts in healthcare law expected the case to be dismissed quickly.
Yet none of these facts are as important to understanding the significance of this case as knowing where it was filed:
in the federal courthouse in Amarillo, Texas
– home to zero Planned Parenthood clinics.This wasn’t an accident.
The US district court in Amarillo is under the purview of the US fifth circuit court of appeals,
making it likely that any upward appeals in Planned Parenthood’s case would be heard in the hard-right appeals court,
including by judges appointed by Trump or other conservative stalwarts like Jones.And by the time the Planned Parenthood case was filed, Kacsmaryk
– that young attorney on stage making introductions at the Federalist Society event in Texas
– had been serving as the federal district court judge for Amarillo for nearly two years. -
Through his role in securing the nominations of Clarence #Thomas, John #Roberts, and Samuel #Alito to the Supreme Court,
#Leonard #Leo’s political cachet began to grow.An avid networker, he cultivated friendships with other members of the court,
spending a weekend in Colorado hunting with Judge Antonin #Scalia
— himself a devout Catholic and, like the Corkerys, close to #Opus #Dei.Surrounded by such religious zeal, it didn’t take long for their example to reawaken his own Catholic faith, and Leo soon began tapping his network of #darkmoney #backers to support religious causes.
He twice bailed out the #Becket #Fund, a nonprofit named after a twelfth-century English martyr, that officially worked to protect religious freedoms,
especially those that were important to conservative Catholics.He reveled in his reputation as the financial savior of this important community.
Soon afterwards, President Bush picked Leo as his representative to the "United States Commission on International Religious Freedom,"
a federal agency set up to police religious freedom around the world.Despite its lofty aims, the commission had a tiny budget and its commissioners were unpaid.
Within Washington circles, many saw it as nothing more than an office for amateurs who meddled in foreign policy.
Undeterred by the skeptics, Leo made the most of his time at the commission to push his own Catholic agenda
— traveling to places like Iraq, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, South Sudan, and Vietnam to investigate allegations of religious persecution.His own faith seemed to grow during that time,
with Leo occasionally reprimanding his staff for putting him in a hotel too far from a church,
making it difficult for him to attend Mass.Some colleagues began to note a particular bias in the way he carried out a role that conflicted with the commission’s stated aim of championing the freedom of all religions.
He became embroiled in a lawsuit after one former colleague accused him of ❌firing her because she was Muslim.
Several staff members resigned because of the controversy,
and Leo was fired not long after.Despite the scandal, his time at the commission deepened Leo’s faith and helped him cultivate his image as a serious political figure.
By the time of the #Federalist #Society’s twenty-fifth anniversary dinner in November 2007,
his influence was clear.Leo shared the stage with the president and three sitting Supreme Court Justices
— Antonin Scalia, Clarence Thomas, and Samuel Alito.Chief Justice John Roberts sent a video message.
“Thanks in part to your efforts, a new generation of lawyers is rising,” President Bush told the assembled members.
At the time of this dinner, Leo was still recovering from the sudden death of his daughter Margaret just a few weeks before her fifteenth birthday
— an event that had a profound impact on him.Margaret had been born with spina bifida and used a wheelchair.
Events around her death had reinforced Leo’s faith.
The previous summer, during a family vacation, Leo had promised Margaret that he would try to go to Mass more regularly.
Over the years, Margaret had developed an obsession with anything religious, and would nag her parents to take her to Mass.
She especially loved angels
— and priests, insisting on a hug every time she saw one.The day after they returned from vacation, Leo got up early to go to Mass
— as promised — and looked in on Margaret.As he was walking down the hall, she started gasping for breath and died shortly afterward.
“I will always think that she did her job,” he later said. “She did her job.”
-
Through his role in securing the nominations of Clarence #Thomas, John #Roberts, and Samuel #Alito to the Supreme Court,
#Leonard #Leo’s political cachet began to grow.An avid networker, he cultivated friendships with other members of the court,
spending a weekend in Colorado hunting with Judge Antonin #Scalia
— himself a devout Catholic and, like the Corkerys, close to #Opus #Dei.Surrounded by such religious zeal, it didn’t take long for their example to reawaken his own Catholic faith, and Leo soon began tapping his network of #darkmoney #backers to support religious causes.
He twice bailed out the #Becket #Fund, a nonprofit named after a twelfth-century English martyr, that officially worked to protect religious freedoms,
especially those that were important to conservative Catholics.He reveled in his reputation as the financial savior of this important community.
Soon afterwards, President Bush picked Leo as his representative to the "United States Commission on International Religious Freedom,"
a federal agency set up to police religious freedom around the world.Despite its lofty aims, the commission had a tiny budget and its commissioners were unpaid.
Within Washington circles, many saw it as nothing more than an office for amateurs who meddled in foreign policy.
Undeterred by the skeptics, Leo made the most of his time at the commission to push his own Catholic agenda
— traveling to places like Iraq, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, South Sudan, and Vietnam to investigate allegations of religious persecution.His own faith seemed to grow during that time,
with Leo occasionally reprimanding his staff for putting him in a hotel too far from a church,
making it difficult for him to attend Mass.Some colleagues began to note a particular bias in the way he carried out a role that conflicted with the commission’s stated aim of championing the freedom of all religions.
He became embroiled in a lawsuit after one former colleague accused him of ❌firing her because she was Muslim.
Several staff members resigned because of the controversy,
and Leo was fired not long after.Despite the scandal, his time at the commission deepened Leo’s faith and helped him cultivate his image as a serious political figure.
By the time of the #Federalist #Society’s twenty-fifth anniversary dinner in November 2007,
his influence was clear.Leo shared the stage with the president and three sitting Supreme Court Justices
— Antonin Scalia, Clarence Thomas, and Samuel Alito.Chief Justice John Roberts sent a video message.
“Thanks in part to your efforts, a new generation of lawyers is rising,” President Bush told the assembled members.
At the time of this dinner, Leo was still recovering from the sudden death of his daughter Margaret just a few weeks before her fifteenth birthday
— an event that had a profound impact on him.Margaret had been born with spina bifida and used a wheelchair.
Events around her death had reinforced Leo’s faith.
The previous summer, during a family vacation, Leo had promised Margaret that he would try to go to Mass more regularly.
Over the years, Margaret had developed an obsession with anything religious, and would nag her parents to take her to Mass.
She especially loved angels
— and priests, insisting on a hug every time she saw one.The day after they returned from vacation, Leo got up early to go to Mass
— as promised — and looked in on Margaret.As he was walking down the hall, she started gasping for breath and died shortly afterward.
“I will always think that she did her job,” he later said. “She did her job.”
-
Through his role in securing the nominations of Clarence #Thomas, John #Roberts, and Samuel #Alito to the Supreme Court,
#Leonard #Leo’s political cachet began to grow.An avid networker, he cultivated friendships with other members of the court,
spending a weekend in Colorado hunting with Judge Antonin #Scalia
— himself a devout Catholic and, like the Corkerys, close to #Opus #Dei.Surrounded by such religious zeal, it didn’t take long for their example to reawaken his own Catholic faith, and Leo soon began tapping his network of #darkmoney #backers to support religious causes.
He twice bailed out the #Becket #Fund, a nonprofit named after a twelfth-century English martyr, that officially worked to protect religious freedoms,
especially those that were important to conservative Catholics.He reveled in his reputation as the financial savior of this important community.
Soon afterwards, President Bush picked Leo as his representative to the "United States Commission on International Religious Freedom,"
a federal agency set up to police religious freedom around the world.Despite its lofty aims, the commission had a tiny budget and its commissioners were unpaid.
Within Washington circles, many saw it as nothing more than an office for amateurs who meddled in foreign policy.
Undeterred by the skeptics, Leo made the most of his time at the commission to push his own Catholic agenda
— traveling to places like Iraq, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, South Sudan, and Vietnam to investigate allegations of religious persecution.His own faith seemed to grow during that time,
with Leo occasionally reprimanding his staff for putting him in a hotel too far from a church,
making it difficult for him to attend Mass.Some colleagues began to note a particular bias in the way he carried out a role that conflicted with the commission’s stated aim of championing the freedom of all religions.
He became embroiled in a lawsuit after one former colleague accused him of ❌firing her because she was Muslim.
Several staff members resigned because of the controversy,
and Leo was fired not long after.Despite the scandal, his time at the commission deepened Leo’s faith and helped him cultivate his image as a serious political figure.
By the time of the #Federalist #Society’s twenty-fifth anniversary dinner in November 2007,
his influence was clear.Leo shared the stage with the president and three sitting Supreme Court Justices
— Antonin Scalia, Clarence Thomas, and Samuel Alito.Chief Justice John Roberts sent a video message.
“Thanks in part to your efforts, a new generation of lawyers is rising,” President Bush told the assembled members.
At the time of this dinner, Leo was still recovering from the sudden death of his daughter Margaret just a few weeks before her fifteenth birthday
— an event that had a profound impact on him.Margaret had been born with spina bifida and used a wheelchair.
Events around her death had reinforced Leo’s faith.
The previous summer, during a family vacation, Leo had promised Margaret that he would try to go to Mass more regularly.
Over the years, Margaret had developed an obsession with anything religious, and would nag her parents to take her to Mass.
She especially loved angels
— and priests, insisting on a hug every time she saw one.The day after they returned from vacation, Leo got up early to go to Mass
— as promised — and looked in on Margaret.As he was walking down the hall, she started gasping for breath and died shortly afterward.
“I will always think that she did her job,” he later said. “She did her job.”
-
Through his role in securing the nominations of Clarence #Thomas, John #Roberts, and Samuel #Alito to the Supreme Court,
#Leonard #Leo’s political cachet began to grow.An avid networker, he cultivated friendships with other members of the court,
spending a weekend in Colorado hunting with Judge Antonin #Scalia
— himself a devout Catholic and, like the Corkerys, close to #Opus #Dei.Surrounded by such religious zeal, it didn’t take long for their example to reawaken his own Catholic faith, and Leo soon began tapping his network of #darkmoney #backers to support religious causes.
He twice bailed out the #Becket #Fund, a nonprofit named after a twelfth-century English martyr, that officially worked to protect religious freedoms,
especially those that were important to conservative Catholics.He reveled in his reputation as the financial savior of this important community.
Soon afterwards, President Bush picked Leo as his representative to the "United States Commission on International Religious Freedom,"
a federal agency set up to police religious freedom around the world.Despite its lofty aims, the commission had a tiny budget and its commissioners were unpaid.
Within Washington circles, many saw it as nothing more than an office for amateurs who meddled in foreign policy.
Undeterred by the skeptics, Leo made the most of his time at the commission to push his own Catholic agenda
— traveling to places like Iraq, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, South Sudan, and Vietnam to investigate allegations of religious persecution.His own faith seemed to grow during that time,
with Leo occasionally reprimanding his staff for putting him in a hotel too far from a church,
making it difficult for him to attend Mass.Some colleagues began to note a particular bias in the way he carried out a role that conflicted with the commission’s stated aim of championing the freedom of all religions.
He became embroiled in a lawsuit after one former colleague accused him of ❌firing her because she was Muslim.
Several staff members resigned because of the controversy,
and Leo was fired not long after.Despite the scandal, his time at the commission deepened Leo’s faith and helped him cultivate his image as a serious political figure.
By the time of the #Federalist #Society’s twenty-fifth anniversary dinner in November 2007,
his influence was clear.Leo shared the stage with the president and three sitting Supreme Court Justices
— Antonin Scalia, Clarence Thomas, and Samuel Alito.Chief Justice John Roberts sent a video message.
“Thanks in part to your efforts, a new generation of lawyers is rising,” President Bush told the assembled members.
At the time of this dinner, Leo was still recovering from the sudden death of his daughter Margaret just a few weeks before her fifteenth birthday
— an event that had a profound impact on him.Margaret had been born with spina bifida and used a wheelchair.
Events around her death had reinforced Leo’s faith.
The previous summer, during a family vacation, Leo had promised Margaret that he would try to go to Mass more regularly.
Over the years, Margaret had developed an obsession with anything religious, and would nag her parents to take her to Mass.
She especially loved angels
— and priests, insisting on a hug every time she saw one.The day after they returned from vacation, Leo got up early to go to Mass
— as promised — and looked in on Margaret.As he was walking down the hall, she started gasping for breath and died shortly afterward.
“I will always think that she did her job,” he later said. “She did her job.”
-
#Leonard #Leo was born on Long Island in the mid-sixties.
When he was only a toddler, he lost his father — a pastry chef — to cancer.
At the age of five, his mother remarried, and the Leos moved to New Jersey, where he attended Monroe Township High School.
Leo was chosen as the “Most Likely to Succeed”
a distinction he shared with classmate #Sally #Schroeder, his future wife.
In the yearbook, the two were shown sitting next to each other, holding wads of cash and with dollar signs painted on their glasses.
He was so effective at raising money for his senior prom that his classmates nicknamed him the “Moneybags Kid.”
Throughout his life, he remained steeped in the deep Catholicism of his grandfather, who had emigrated to the United States from Italy as a teenager;
his grandparents attended Mass daily, and encouraged the young Leonard to follow their lead.
After high school, Leo went to Cornell University, studying under a group of conservative academics in the university’s department of government
and with the wider national backdrop of iconoclastic scholars led by Yale University’s #Robert #Bork and the University of Chicago’s #Antonin #Scalia, who were building the case for a novel legal doctrine known as #originalism.
He got a series of internships in Washington, D.C., during the final years of the Reagan administration,
then returned to Cornell to join the law school, where in 1989 he founded the local chapter of a student organization called the #Federalist #Society.
That group had been set up by three conservative-leaning students from Yale, Harvard, and Chicago seven years earlier as a way of challenging what they saw as the dominance of liberal ideology at the country’s law schools.After graduating, Leo married Sally, who had been raised as a Protestant but who used to go to Catholic Mass five times every weekend because she played the organ.
She decided to convert not long before her marriage.
The couple moved back to Washington, where Leo clerked for a judge on the court of appeals and became close with another appellate judge who had recently been appointed to the D.C. circuit
— a man from Georgia called #Clarence #Thomas,
who had toyed with becoming a Catholic priest.Despite being ten years older and from much more humble origins,
Thomas shared Leo’s conservative outlook, and the two soon developed a deep friendship that would endure for many years.During this period, Leo was asked by the Federalist Society to become its first employee
— although he delayed his start date so that he could help his good friend Thomas through his contentious confirmation process for the Supreme Court.Despite accusations of sexual harassment hanging over him, Thomas won Senate confirmation by a slim margin.
It would be the first in a series of fights in which Leo would have to put aside the teachings of his Christian faith as he focused on the greater goal of pushing through a conservative revolution of the courts and of society at large.
https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/opus-dei-leonard-leo-supreme-court-moneybags-kid-1235115538/ -
#Leonard #Leo was born on Long Island in the mid-sixties.
When he was only a toddler, he lost his father — a pastry chef — to cancer.
At the age of five, his mother remarried, and the Leos moved to New Jersey, where he attended Monroe Township High School.
Leo was chosen as the “Most Likely to Succeed”
a distinction he shared with classmate #Sally #Schroeder, his future wife.
In the yearbook, the two were shown sitting next to each other, holding wads of cash and with dollar signs painted on their glasses.
He was so effective at raising money for his senior prom that his classmates nicknamed him the “Moneybags Kid.”
Throughout his life, he remained steeped in the deep Catholicism of his grandfather, who had emigrated to the United States from Italy as a teenager;
his grandparents attended Mass daily, and encouraged the young Leonard to follow their lead.
After high school, Leo went to Cornell University, studying under a group of conservative academics in the university’s department of government
and with the wider national backdrop of iconoclastic scholars led by Yale University’s #Robert #Bork and the University of Chicago’s #Antonin #Scalia, who were building the case for a novel legal doctrine known as #originalism.
He got a series of internships in Washington, D.C., during the final years of the Reagan administration,
then returned to Cornell to join the law school, where in 1989 he founded the local chapter of a student organization called the #Federalist #Society.
That group had been set up by three conservative-leaning students from Yale, Harvard, and Chicago seven years earlier as a way of challenging what they saw as the dominance of liberal ideology at the country’s law schools.After graduating, Leo married Sally, who had been raised as a Protestant but who used to go to Catholic Mass five times every weekend because she played the organ.
She decided to convert not long before her marriage.
The couple moved back to Washington, where Leo clerked for a judge on the court of appeals and became close with another appellate judge who had recently been appointed to the D.C. circuit
— a man from Georgia called #Clarence #Thomas,
who had toyed with becoming a Catholic priest.Despite being ten years older and from much more humble origins,
Thomas shared Leo’s conservative outlook, and the two soon developed a deep friendship that would endure for many years.During this period, Leo was asked by the Federalist Society to become its first employee
— although he delayed his start date so that he could help his good friend Thomas through his contentious confirmation process for the Supreme Court.Despite accusations of sexual harassment hanging over him, Thomas won Senate confirmation by a slim margin.
It would be the first in a series of fights in which Leo would have to put aside the teachings of his Christian faith as he focused on the greater goal of pushing through a conservative revolution of the courts and of society at large.
https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/opus-dei-leonard-leo-supreme-court-moneybags-kid-1235115538/ -
#Leonard #Leo was born on Long Island in the mid-sixties.
When he was only a toddler, he lost his father — a pastry chef — to cancer.
At the age of five, his mother remarried, and the Leos moved to New Jersey, where he attended Monroe Township High School.
Leo was chosen as the “Most Likely to Succeed”
a distinction he shared with classmate #Sally #Schroeder, his future wife.
In the yearbook, the two were shown sitting next to each other, holding wads of cash and with dollar signs painted on their glasses.
He was so effective at raising money for his senior prom that his classmates nicknamed him the “Moneybags Kid.”
Throughout his life, he remained steeped in the deep Catholicism of his grandfather, who had emigrated to the United States from Italy as a teenager;
his grandparents attended Mass daily, and encouraged the young Leonard to follow their lead.
After high school, Leo went to Cornell University, studying under a group of conservative academics in the university’s department of government
and with the wider national backdrop of iconoclastic scholars led by Yale University’s #Robert #Bork and the University of Chicago’s #Antonin #Scalia, who were building the case for a novel legal doctrine known as #originalism.
He got a series of internships in Washington, D.C., during the final years of the Reagan administration,
then returned to Cornell to join the law school, where in 1989 he founded the local chapter of a student organization called the #Federalist #Society.
That group had been set up by three conservative-leaning students from Yale, Harvard, and Chicago seven years earlier as a way of challenging what they saw as the dominance of liberal ideology at the country’s law schools.After graduating, Leo married Sally, who had been raised as a Protestant but who used to go to Catholic Mass five times every weekend because she played the organ.
She decided to convert not long before her marriage.
The couple moved back to Washington, where Leo clerked for a judge on the court of appeals and became close with another appellate judge who had recently been appointed to the D.C. circuit
— a man from Georgia called #Clarence #Thomas,
who had toyed with becoming a Catholic priest.Despite being ten years older and from much more humble origins,
Thomas shared Leo’s conservative outlook, and the two soon developed a deep friendship that would endure for many years.During this period, Leo was asked by the Federalist Society to become its first employee
— although he delayed his start date so that he could help his good friend Thomas through his contentious confirmation process for the Supreme Court.Despite accusations of sexual harassment hanging over him, Thomas won Senate confirmation by a slim margin.
It would be the first in a series of fights in which Leo would have to put aside the teachings of his Christian faith as he focused on the greater goal of pushing through a conservative revolution of the courts and of society at large.
https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/opus-dei-leonard-leo-supreme-court-moneybags-kid-1235115538/ -
#Leonard #Leo was born on Long Island in the mid-sixties.
When he was only a toddler, he lost his father — a pastry chef — to cancer.
At the age of five, his mother remarried, and the Leos moved to New Jersey, where he attended Monroe Township High School.
Leo was chosen as the “Most Likely to Succeed”
a distinction he shared with classmate #Sally #Schroeder, his future wife.
In the yearbook, the two were shown sitting next to each other, holding wads of cash and with dollar signs painted on their glasses.
He was so effective at raising money for his senior prom that his classmates nicknamed him the “Moneybags Kid.”
Throughout his life, he remained steeped in the deep Catholicism of his grandfather, who had emigrated to the United States from Italy as a teenager;
his grandparents attended Mass daily, and encouraged the young Leonard to follow their lead.
After high school, Leo went to Cornell University, studying under a group of conservative academics in the university’s department of government
and with the wider national backdrop of iconoclastic scholars led by Yale University’s #Robert #Bork and the University of Chicago’s #Antonin #Scalia, who were building the case for a novel legal doctrine known as #originalism.
He got a series of internships in Washington, D.C., during the final years of the Reagan administration,
then returned to Cornell to join the law school, where in 1989 he founded the local chapter of a student organization called the #Federalist #Society.
That group had been set up by three conservative-leaning students from Yale, Harvard, and Chicago seven years earlier as a way of challenging what they saw as the dominance of liberal ideology at the country’s law schools.After graduating, Leo married Sally, who had been raised as a Protestant but who used to go to Catholic Mass five times every weekend because she played the organ.
She decided to convert not long before her marriage.
The couple moved back to Washington, where Leo clerked for a judge on the court of appeals and became close with another appellate judge who had recently been appointed to the D.C. circuit
— a man from Georgia called #Clarence #Thomas,
who had toyed with becoming a Catholic priest.Despite being ten years older and from much more humble origins,
Thomas shared Leo’s conservative outlook, and the two soon developed a deep friendship that would endure for many years.During this period, Leo was asked by the Federalist Society to become its first employee
— although he delayed his start date so that he could help his good friend Thomas through his contentious confirmation process for the Supreme Court.Despite accusations of sexual harassment hanging over him, Thomas won Senate confirmation by a slim margin.
It would be the first in a series of fights in which Leo would have to put aside the teachings of his Christian faith as he focused on the greater goal of pushing through a conservative revolution of the courts and of society at large.
https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/opus-dei-leonard-leo-supreme-court-moneybags-kid-1235115538/
