THE COZY RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE SUPER RICH AND JUDGES

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• Assurance to Donors That More Conservative Judges Are on the Way: “One of President Trump’s leading outside advisors assured a group of top Koch network donors that the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court is just the beginning of an even bigger effort to load federal courts with conservative judges.”
  Read more: https://www.cnbc.com/2018/08/02/leonard-leo-assures-koch-donors-about-trump-judiciary-picks.html
• One Mega Donor Funds Conservative Court: When the Judicial Crisis Network poured millions of dollars into a campaign to stop the Senate from confirming President Obama’s Court pick in 2016, political observers believed that conservatives were responsible for the donations to the organization. However, tax documents reveal that the money came in large part from another secret nonprofit — the Wellspring Committee.
  Read more: https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2017/11/web-of-secret-money-hides-one-mega-donor-funding-conservative-court/
• The Money Behind the Conservative Legal Movement: Millions of dollars flow every year from various non-profit groups in order to shape and reshape the federal judicial landscape. An excerpt from the Federalist Society’s annual report displays its donors, the focus of its activities, and its ties to the federal judiciary.
  Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/03/19/us/politics/document-ConservativeDonors-DocCloud.html
• Amid Protests at Trump Hotel, Neil Gorsuch Calls for Civility: Just months after his confirmation, Justice Gorsuch headlines Trump Hotel event for the right-wing Fund for American Studies.
  Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/28/us/politics/neil-gorsuch-trump-hotel-protests.html
• Scalia Took Dozens of Trips Funded by Private Sponsors: Scalia’s death at a luxury Texas ranch shone a spotlight on his lifestyle funded by private sponsors. “I am worried about the public perception of gratitude, even if there is no effect on your behavior,” said Stephen Gillers, a professor at the New York University School of Law who specializes in legal ethics. “And the greater the luxury, the greater the risk of public suspicion.”
  Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/27/us/politics/scalia-led-court-in-taking-trips-funded-by-private-sponsors.html
• Secretive Billionaire Lobbied for Gorsuch’s 10th Circuit Nomination; the Two Men Have Longtime Ties: When influential billionaires successfully put their thumbs on the scale of judicial appointments, the rule of law and the reputation of the independent judiciary suffer.
  Read more: http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/secretive_billionaire_lobbied_for_gorsuchs_10th_circuit_nomination_the_two
• Friendship of Justice and Magnate Puts Focus on Ethics: Justice Thomas and his wife’s financial and social ties to a Texas real estate magnate — including a $500,000 donation to Ms. Thomas’s Tea Party group, and trips to luxury estates — raise questions about the Supreme Court’s refusal to adopt an ethics code.
  Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/19/us/politics/19thomas.html
• Justices’ Impartiality in Campaign Spending Case Questioned: Months before voting to fundamentally upend American campaign finance law in Citizens United, Justices Scalia and Thomas participated in a private meeting hosted by the Koch brothers.
  Read more: http://articles.latimes.com/2011/jan/21/nation/la-na-court-conflict-20110121

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