The amicus curiae brief is one of the web’s favorite weapons. ProPublica has identified at least six groups funded by the Leo Network which has filed amicus briefs supporting a Colorado web designer, Lorie Smith, who wants to refuse work for gays, and whose lawsuit, now at the Supreme Court, would strike down Colorado’s anti-discrimination law. About twenty Republican attorneys general have also filed one brief friend in support of the case through the Association of Attorneys General of the Republic. RAGA has received large portions of Leo’s generosity over the years. In 2022, a group connected to Leo donated 6.5 million dollars in RAGA, according to ProPublica. RAGA money went to PAC guidance Midterm Democrats. RAGA coordinates Republican attorneys general in pro-corporate, anti-progressive legal actions. These include 19 attorneys general who are lobbying investors like BlackRock abandon environmental, social and governance, or ESG, investments aimed at reducing climate pollution. RAGA money has also been traced to organizations involved in the January 6 uprising and the group archived an amicus brief in support of dismissing federal criminal charges against Michael Flynn, the former Trump administration national security adviser who pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI.
Other organizations linked to Leo, such as the Judicial Crisis Network and the Judicial Fairness Initiative of the Republican State Leadership Committee, are pouring money in state judge races. A news grid research found that groups connected to Leo have poured “$31 million in campaign funds into at least 42 races for seats on state supreme courts or other high-level state judges in 15 states since 2010.” These obscure, low-stakes races are increasingly critical as the Supreme Court issues decisions on everything from the abortion a elections up to the states
Senator Whitehouse has dedicated himself Tracking dark money, especially money intended to reshape the law and judicial packaging. He’s thought a lot about what motivates a man to leave his entire fortune down a dark, regressive money funnel. “The poor man wants to be rich, the rich man wants to be king,” Whitehouse said, quoting Bruce Springsteen. “That’s the song. If you’re a creepy right-wing billionaire and you know the public hates your worldview, the only way to be king is to advance democratic processes, go underground and find a con like Leonard Leo who know how to do it. move the levers secretly.”
What does $1.6 billion mean
Seid’s legacy is believed to be the bigger dark money donation in US history. Not-for-profit charities are required to disclose their major donors, but the class of political recipients the IRS defines as “social welfare” groups like Leo’s Marble trust are not. “Seid’s donation appears to be one of the largest, if not the largest, political donation ever given,” said Kathleen Enright, president of the Council on Foundations, a nonprofit association of philanthropic organizations. “But to be clear, this is not a charitable contribution in any way. It is a political contribution made to support a political agenda.”
