Fix the Court

Last updated

Fix the Court is an advocacy group that seeks reform of the U.S. federal court system. The group lobbies for term limits for members of the U.S. Supreme Court, [1] for streaming live audio and video of the court's oral arguments, [2] and for publicizing potential conflicts of interest among justices. Fix the Court submitted multiple Freedom of Information Act requests related to the Supreme Court nominations of Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh, as well as for all 25 people that former President Donald Trump put on his shortlist of potential Supreme Court nominees. [3]

When Brett Kavanaugh was nominated to the U.S. Supreme Court, Fix the Court bought several Internet domain names related to Kavanaugh and redirected them to websites including End Rape On Campus, the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, and the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network. Fix the Court's executive director, Gabe Roth, said he purchased and redirected the websites because he believed the sexual assault allegations made by Christine Blasey Ford against Brett Kavanaugh and by Anita Hill against Clarence Thomas. [4] [5]

Fix the Court was initially funded by the New Venture Fund. [6] Since February 2021, Fix the Court has been registered with the Internal Revenue Service as an 501(c)(3) nonprofit. [7] However, Fix the Court did not initially file tax forms with the IRS until the Washington Examiner contacted Gabe Roth and asked for the group's financial disclosures. [8] Roth accidentally leaked investigative reporter Gabe Kaminsky Fix the Court's donors for 2021 and 2022, noting in an interview with the outlet, "I mean, basically, I've tried to donate money; I have failed. I tried to raise money; I have failed. I have only two foundations that give me money, and if their names become public, they're never going to talk to me again, and Fix the Court is over. My screwup this morning probably cost me my job." [9]

Fix the Court failed to disclose lobbying in 2021 and 2022 on tax forms and was accused in an IRS complaint of violating federal law. [10] The group later admitted this error and fixed its 2022 tax forms to include its lobbying activities, the Washington Examiner reported. The Wall Street Journal published an op-ed in August 2023, titled, '"Fix the Court' Should Fix Itself." [11]

Related Research Articles

The Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), formerly the Alliance Defense Fund, is an American conservative Christian legal advocacy group that works to expand Christian practices within public schools and in government, outlaw abortion, and curtail LGBTQ rights. ADF is headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona, with branch offices in several locations including Washington, D.C., and New York. Its international subsidiary, Alliance Defending Freedom International, with headquarters in Vienna, Austria, operates in over 100 countries.

Leonard Anthony Leo is an American lawyer and conservative legal activist. He was the longtime vice president of the Federalist Society and is currently, along with Steven Calabresi, the co-chairman of the organization's board of directors. Leo has been instrumental in building a network of influential conservative legal groups funded mostly by anonymous donors, including The 85 Fund and Concord Fund, which serve as funding hubs for affiliated political nonprofits. He assisted Clarence Thomas in his Supreme Court confirmation hearings and led campaigns to support the nominations of John Roberts, Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sheldon Whitehouse</span> American lawyer and politician (born 1955)

Sheldon Whitehouse is an American lawyer and politician serving as the junior United States senator from Rhode Island since 2007. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the United States Attorney for the District of Rhode Island from 1993 to 1998 and as the 71st attorney general of Rhode Island from 1999 to 2003.

A 501(c)(3) organization is a United St p******* es urati p******* es una p******* es gratis p******* es urati ates

Martin Edward Whelan III is an American lawyer, legal activist and political commentator. Whelan's legal career included clerking for Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia and serving as a deputy assistant attorney general during the George W. Bush administration. From 2004 to 2021, he served as the president of the Ethics and Public Policy Center, a conservative think tank "dedicated to applying the Judeo-Christian moral tradition to critical issues of public policy".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brett Kavanaugh</span> US Supreme Court justice since 2018 (born 1965)

Brett Michael Kavanaugh is an American lawyer and jurist serving as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. He was nominated by President Donald Trump on July 9, 2018, and has served since October 6, 2018. He was previously a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Threatening government officials of the United States</span> Felony crime in the United States

Threatening the government officials of the United States is a felony under federal law. Threatening the president of the United States is a felony under 18 U.S.C. § 871, punishable by up to 5 years of imprisonment, that is investigated by the United States Secret Service. Threatening other officials is a Class D or C felony, usually carrying maximum penalties of 5 or 10 years under 18 U.S.C. § 875, 18 U.S.C. § 876 and other statutes, that is investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. When national boundaries are transcended by such a threat, it is considered a terrorist threat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Citizens for Self-Governance</span>

Citizens for Self-Governance (CSG) is a conservative American nonprofit political organization. In 2015, it launched a nationwide initiative calling for a convention to propose amendments to the United States Constitution to reduce federal spending. The group's efforts are focused on imposing fiscal restraint on Washington D.C., reducing the federal government's authority over states, and imposing term limits on federal officials. As of 2023, the organization's resolution had passed in 19 states. A total of 34 states would need to pass such a resolution in order for a Convention to Amend the Constitution to be called per Article V. The organization funded and won a class action lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service over the agency's politically oriented targeting of conservative organizations. The group is based in Austin, Texas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">H.Res. 565 (113th Congress)</span>

The bill H.Res. 565, official title "Calling on Attorney General Eric H. Holder, Jr., to appoint a special counsel to investigate the targeting of conservative nonprofit groups by the Internal Revenue Service," was passed by the United States House of Representatives during the 113th United States Congress. The simple resolution asks U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to appoint a special counsel to investigate that 2013 IRS scandal. The Internal Revenue Service revealed in 2013 that it had selected political groups applying for tax-exempt status for closer scrutiny based on their names or political themes.

The Judicial Crisis Network or JCN is an American conservative advocacy organization. Its president is Carrie Severino, a former law clerk for Supreme Court justice Clarence Thomas. In 2020, OpenSecrets described the organization as having "unmatched influence in recent years in shaping the federal judiciary." It is among a network of organizations associated with Leonard Leo, a longtime executive in the Federalist Society, that are funded mostly by anonymous donors and distributed by Concord and a related group, The 85 Fund.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pamela E. Queen</span> American politician

Pamela E. Queen is an American politician who serves as a Delegate to the Maryland House of Delegates representing Maryland's 14th Legislative District in northern Montgomery County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brett Kavanaugh Supreme Court nomination</span> United States Supreme Court nomination

On July 9, 2018, President Donald Trump nominated Brett Kavanaugh for Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States to succeed retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy. When nominated, Kavanaugh was a judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, a position he was appointed to in 2006 by President George W. Bush.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christine Blasey Ford</span> American professor of psychology

Christine Margaret Blasey Ford is an American professor of psychology at Palo Alto University and a research psychologist at the Stanford University School of Medicine. She specializes in designing statistical models for research projects. During her academic career, Ford has worked as a professor at the Stanford University School of Medicine Collaborative Clinical Psychology Program.

Mark Gauvreau Judge is an American author and journalist known for books about his suburban Washington, D.C. youth, recovery from alcoholism, and the role of music in American popular culture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rachel Mitchell</span> Maricopa County District Attorney

Rachel Hope Mitchell is an American attorney serving as the County Attorney for Maricopa County, Arizona since April 2022. She was appointed to the position following the resignation of Allister Adel and won the 2022 special election. In 2019, she briefly served as the acting County Attorney after the appointment of Bill Montgomery to the Arizona Supreme Court. Previously, she was the Chief Deputy County Attorney, and chief of the Special Victims Division.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A Scary Time</span> 2018 feminist protest song

"A Scary Time" is a 2018 feminist protest song and viral video written and performed by Lynzy Lab. It is based on the comment by former United States President Donald Trump that "it's a very scary time for young men in America", which he said amid the sexual assault allegations against his Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. The song contains a list of situations in which men have harassed, coerced, or sexually assaulted women in the U.S. The list also includes some of the past responses from the American public, media, and legal system to women who have accused men of such acts.

Arabella Advisors is a Washington, D.C.-based for-profit consulting company that advises left-leaning donors and nonprofits about where to give money and serves as the hub of a politically liberal "dark money" network. It was founded by former Clinton administration appointee Eric Kessler. The Arabella network spent nearly $1.2 billion in 2020 and raised $1.35 billion in 2022.

Carrie Campbell Severino is an American lawyer and conservative political activist. She is the head of the Judicial Crisis Network (JCN), where she supported the Supreme Court nominations of Amy Coney Barrett and Brett Kavanaugh. She is the coauthor of Justice on Trial: The Kavanaugh Confirmation and the Future of the Supreme Court.

The Sixteen Thirty Fund is a hub of undisclosed political spending on the American Left. The group serves as a fiscal sponsor for other organizations, incubating and financing various progressive projects. According to The New York Times, "The Sixteen Thirty is part of a broader network of progressive nonprofits that donors use to fill specific spaces on the political chessboard." The Sixteen Thirty Fund is administered by Arabella Advisors, a for-profit consulting firm.

References

  1. ↑ Ingraham, Christopher (February 13, 2016). "Why it's time to get serious about Supreme Court term limits". Washington Post. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  2. ↑ Wolf, Richard (April 30, 2020). "Supreme Court makes historic change to hear oral arguments over the phone and stream them live". USA Today. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  3. ↑ Mencimer, Stephanie (July 18, 2018). "Judicial Watchdogs Are in Court to Make Brett Kavanaugh's Entire Record Public". Mother Jones. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  4. ↑ Black, Shelby (October 10, 2018). "Fix The Court Bought Brett Kavanaugh's Name As A Website To Help Sexual Assault Survivors". Elite Daily. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  5. ↑ Lieu, Johnny (October 10, 2018). "Someone bought BrettKavanaugh.com, which links to sexual assault survivor resources". Mashable. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  6. ↑ Wolf, Richard (November 12, 2014). "At Supreme Court, secretiveness attracts snoops". USA Today. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  7. ↑ "IRS Determination Letter". IRS.gov. Retrieved 6 January 2023.
  8. ↑ "Supreme Court 'transparency' charity director panics over IRS donor leak: 'I just f***ed up'". Washington Examiner. 2023-05-17. Retrieved 2023-09-19.
  9. ↑ "Supreme Court 'transparency' charity director panics over IRS donor leak: 'I just f***ed up'". Washington Examiner. 2023-05-17. Retrieved 2023-09-19.
  10. ↑ "Supreme Court 'ethics' group likely failed to disclose lobbying, experts say". Washington Examiner. 2023-07-27. Retrieved 2023-09-19.
  11. ↑ Board, The Editorial (2023-08-08). "Opinion | 'Fix the Court' Should Fix Itself". Wall Street Journal. ISSN   0099-9660 . Retrieved 2023-09-19.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.