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Revision as of 14:40, 8 June 2022 by Renamed User iusdhf (talk | contribs) (Restore relevant information to page—this is an encyclopedia, and sources provided relevant information around this organization. No reason for mass deletion of sourced information.)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff) American political advocacy organization

Judicial Crisis Network
SuccessorThe 85 Fund; Concord Fund
Formation2020 (2020)
Type501(c)(4)
Location
LeaderCarrie Severino
Board of directorsGary Marx, Daniel Casey
Expenses$37,177,415 (with JEP) (2016)
Websitewww.judicialnetwork.com Edit this at Wikidata
Formerly calledJudicial Confirmation Network

The Judicial Crisis Network (JCN), formerly known as Judicial Confirmation Network (since December 2019 legally known as the Concord Fund) is a Washington, D.C.-based tax-exempt charity that serves as the hub of a well-funded politically conservative "dark money" network. It was founded in 2005 by the right-wing activist and fundraiser Ann Corkery and is closely associated with Leonard Leo. The current President is Carrie Severino, a former law clerk for Supreme Court justice Clarence Thomas. The organization describes itself as "dedicated to strengthening liberty and justice in America" and supports conservative appointments to American judicial posts. The Judicial Education Project, now called The 85 Fund, is closely aligned with the JCN.

Background

The organization was founded in 2005 to promote the judicial appointees of then president George W. Bush. Fundraiser and lawyer Ann Corkery, along with California real estate magnate Robin Arkley II, were key to the beginning of the organization. The JCN is closely affiliated with Leonard Leo.

The current leader is Carrie Severino. She was previously a law clerk to United States Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and to Judge David B. Sentelle of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. She is a contributor to National Review. She is married to Roger Severino.

Severino received her J.D. degree from Harvard Law School. Severino has been involved with constitutional challenges to the Affordable Care Act.

Funding

The leading funder of JCN is the Wellspring Committee, which is directed by Ann Corkery. Wellspring, which does not disclose who funds it, gave close to $7 million to JCN in 2014; between 2012 and 2015, it reported giving JCN more than $15 million. In total, the Wellspring Committee's IRS filings show that it donated more than $52,000,000 to the JCN between 2011 and 2016. JCN's tax return for the period July 2015 to June 2016 shows that one $17.9 million donation, whose source was not reported, accounted for 96.6 percent of the organization's revenue.

Advocacy activities

Political Campaigns

In 2013, JCN ran ads in Alaska that were critical of U.S. senator Mark Begich's votes to approve all of president Barack Obama's federal judicial nominees. The group also ran advertisements that were critical of Mary Landrieu and Mark Pryor's votes for president Obama's court picks.

In 2016, it donated $2,765,000 to the Tea Party Patriots, $1,425,000 to the Americans for Limited Government, $950,000 to the American Conservative Union, and $500,000 to the Club for Growth.

Gun Rights

In 2016, its IRS disclosures show that the JCN donated $1,000,000 to the National Rifle Association.

Abortion

In 2016, its IRS disclosures show that the JCN donated $330,000 to the National Right to Life Committee.

Death Penalty

In 2015, the Judicial Crisis Network donated $600,000 to Nebraskans for the Death Penalty, a group promoting reinstatement of capital punishment in Nebraska.

Religious Groups

In 2016, it donated $100,000 to Catholic Vote Civic Action.

Judicial Appointments and Election of Judges

Supreme Court Nominations

A key premise underlying the JCN's Supreme Court campaigns was articulated by Leonard Leo in his remarks to the Council for National Policy: “We’re going to have to understand that judicial confirmations these days are more like political campaigns."

Campaign against Merrick Garland

Also in 2016, the JCN bought advertisements across the country to oppose president Obama's supreme court nominee, chief judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit Merrick Garland. In November 2016, after Donald Trump was elected president of the United States, JCN ran television advertisements praising senate judiciary chairman Chuck Grassley for holding the line against Garland. The group also spent over $500,000 on advertisements thanking Trump for his campaign promises regarding the types of justices he would select for the nation's high court. JCN's advertisements asked viewers to thank Trump for pledging to nominate conservative jurists in the mold of Antonin Scalia to the Supreme Court.

Campaign for Neil Gorsuch

On January 31, 2017, the Judicial Crisis Network committed to spending $10 million on advocacy ads in favor of president Donald Trump's first Supreme Court of the United States nominee, Neil Gorsuch. The JCN lobbying blitz focused in particular on Indiana, Missouri, Montana, and North Dakota, all of which were battleground states in the 2018 Senate Elections.

Campaign for Brett Kavanaugh

The Judicial Crisis Network spent $4.5 million in ad buys supportive of the confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court. In 2019, the watchdog group Campaign for Accountability accused JCN of sending illegal robotexts to Indiana residents about the Supreme Court nomination of Brett Kavanaugh.

Campaign to fill seat before 2020 Election and for Amy Coney Barrett

In September 2020, after the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, JCN launched a $2.2 million campaign to support President Trump's right to appoint a judge prior to the November 2020 presidential election, a move with no historical precedent.

The Judicial Crisis has spent at least $6.3 on national television advertisements supporting the Republican effort to confirm President Donald Trump’s nominee a week before the election. As of October 26, the group spent an additional $2.9 million on digital ads, direct mail and text messages supporting Barrett.

State Supreme Court Elections

In 2012, JCN spent between $600,000 and $1 million on an ad alleging that law professor Bridget McCormack, a candidate for the Supreme Court of Michigan, “volunteered to free a terrorist."

In 2013 and 14, the Judicial Crisis Network bankrolled organizations that ran campaigns for candidates in the Wisconsin Supreme Court and the Tennessee Supreme Court. More than $500,000 of this money was used to support Patience Roggensack’s successful reelection campaign in Wisconsin.

In 2015-16, the Judicial Crisis Network contributed nearly $2 million to conservative groups involved in state supreme court elections for seats on the North Carolina Supreme Court, the Wisconsin Supreme Court, the Ohio Supreme Court, the West Virginia Supreme Court, and the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. The Judicial Crisis Network also spent more $500,000 to block Justice Courtney Goodson’s bid for Chief Justice of the Arkansas Supreme Court, which they accomplished.

Other Judicial Campaigns

In 2014, the group ran digital advertisements critical of Chris Christie's judicial appointments. JCN has been active in North Carolina supreme court elections.

In 2016, the JCN ran a negative advertisement about Jane L. Kelly, a federal appeals judge from Iowa who was on a White House list of possible nominees to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Relationships with the Republican Party

Republican Attorneys General Association

Between 2013 and 2016, it donated $2,100,000 to the Republican Attorneys General Association. In 2017, it donated $2,900,000 million to the RAGA. In 2018, it donated $5,900,000 to the RAGA, making it far and away the largest donor to the RAGA.

Other Elements of the Republican Party

In 2016, it donated $200,000 to the Republican Governors Association.

Between 2012 and 2016, it donated $665,000 to the Republican State Leadership.

Activities Related to Voter Suppression/Voter Fraud

The Honest Election Project, a legal alias for the Judicial Education Project, has filed court briefs "in favor of voting restrictions" in Nevada, Virginia, Texas, Wisconsin and Minnesota, among other places. The Honest Election Project has expressed the view that voter suppression is a “myth”. As The Guardian notes, "By having a hand in both voting litigation and the judges on the federal bench, this network could create a system where conservative donors have an avenue to both oppose voting rights and appoint judges to back that effort." According to the Guardian, the Honest Elections Project is "backed by a dark money group funded by rightwing stalwarts like the Koch brothers and Betsy DeVos’ family." The Honest Elections Project announced it would spend a minimum of $250,000 in advertisements in April 2020 to warn against voting by mail to accuse Democrats of cheating.

Other payments

Between 2016 and 2018, the Judicial Crisis Network paid more than $1.2 million to the BH Group. The BH Group, a Virginia-based LLC, is the employer of Leonard Leo.

Between 2016 and 2018, its sister entity, the Judicial Education Project, contributed nearly $2 million to George Mason University Foundation.

References

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  2. Treene, Jonathan Swan,Alayna. "Leonard Leo to shape new conservative network, step aside from the Federalist Society". Axios. Retrieved October 24, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. NW, The Center for Responsive Politics 1300 L. St; Washington, Suite 200; info, DC 20005 telelphone857-0044 (March 23, 2015). "The JCN Story: Building a Secretive GOP Judicial Machine". OpenSecrets News. Retrieved October 26, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
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