‘Plain historical falsehoods’: How amicus briefs bolstered Supreme Court conservatives
The network of Leonard Leo, a former head of the Federalist Society, has supported 85% of the conservative amicus briefs in an LGBTQ+ rights case, many of which were filed by Catholic or Christian nonprofits. The two leading groups in Leo’s network, The 85 Fund and the Concord Fund, have donated $7.8 million between 2019 and 2021 to organizations filing briefs in support of 303 Creative LLC. The Concord Fund is the rebranded Judicial Crisis Network, and The 85 Fund is the new name of the Judicial Education Project. The use of amicus briefs has proliferated since 2010, with both Democratic and Republican-nominated justices borrowing from them in their opinions. Leo’s network is connected to a majority of the 180 amicus briefs analyzed, either through direct leadership roles or professional ties.
Leave a Comment