Chief justice Roberts pushed for quick immunity ruling in Trump’s favor – report

John Roberts Jr used his position as the US supreme court’s chief justice to urge his colleagues to rule quickly
– and in favor
– of Donald Trump
ahead of the decision that granted him and other presidents immunity for official acts, according to a New York Times investigation published on Sunday.

The new report provides details about what was happening behind the scenes in the country’s highest court during the three recent supreme court decisions centering on
– and generally favoring
– the Republican former president.

Based on leaked memos, documentation of the proceedings, and interviews with court insiders, the Times report suggests that Roberts
– who was appointed to the supreme court during Republican George W Bush’s presidency
– took an unusually active role in the three cases in question. And he wrote the majority opinions on all three.

In addition to the presidential immunity ruling, the decisions collectively barred states from removing any official
– including Trump
– from a federal ballot as well as declaring the government had overstepped with respect to obstruction of justice charges filed against participants of the 6 January 2021 attack that the former president’s supporters aimed at Congress.

The Times reported that last February, Roberts sent a memo to his fellow supreme court justices regarding the criminal charges against Trump for attempting to overturn the result of the 2020 election that he lost to Joe Biden.

In the #leaked #memo, the Times reported that he criticized a lower court decision that allowed the case to move forward
– and he argued to the other justices that Trump was protected by presidential immunity.

He reportedly said that the supreme court ought to hear the case and grant Trump greater protection from prosecution.

“I think it likely that we will view the separation of powers analysis differently,” the Times said that Roberts wrote to the other supreme court justices in the private memo.

According to the Times, some of the conservative justices wanted to delay the decision on the presidential immunity case until after Trump finished running for a second term in the White House in November.

But Roberts advocated for an early hearing and decision
– and ultimately wrote the majority opinion himself.

Before the opinion and ruling went public, the Times reported that Justice Brett #Kavanaugh had praised Roberts on the ruling,
calling it “extraordinary”.

Their fellow conservative justice Neil #Gorsuch
– who, like Kavanaugh, was appointed to the supreme court during Trump’s presidency
– called it “remarkable”.

The decision came out on 1 July and stated that former presidents are entitled to some degree of #immunity from criminal prosecution.

Both conservatives and liberals saw it as a huge win for Trump, who
– among a spate of legal problems
– is awaiting sentencing for a criminal conviction in May of falsifying business records to conceal hush-money payments to an adult film actor who alleged an extramarital sexual encounter with him.

The supreme court then returned the case to district judge Tanya #Chutkan, who is overseeing the federal case against Trump for allegedly participating in an illicit effort to reverse his defeat in the 2020 election.

That left her tasked with having to figure out how to apply the US supreme court’s decision.

The Times also reported that in the case about whether individual states could kick Trump off the ballot
based on language in the US constitution which bars insurrections from holding office,
Roberts told his colleagues that he wanted the decision to be #unanimous and #unsigned.

All nine justices initially agreed that Trump should remain on state ballots.

But then, the Times reports, four conservative justices suggested additions to the ruling,
including proposing that Congress would have to approve enforcement of the insurrectionist ban in the constitution.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/sep/16/supreme-court-john-roberts-trump-immunity-ruling?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

#Leonard #Leo, the conservative activist with an estimated
$1 billion at his disposal,
is threatening to withhold money from the dozens of groups he supports unless they develop plans to "weaponize" their ideas.

Why it matters:

Leo's call for conservative groups to get #more #aggressive will send shockwaves through the right-wing ecosystem he helped create.

Leo wants less conversation and more action
— fewer seminars and more campaigns
— as part of a plan to
"crush liberal dominance at the choke points of influence and power in our society,"
he told the groups in a letter obtained by Axios.

The goal should be to direct "funding to operationalize or weaponize the conservative vision," Leo wrote.

Zoom in:

Leo, 59, is telling organizations backed by his #85Fund that he's undertaking a
"comprehensive review" of his grant-making process.

His letter doesn't mention any specific groups by name, but they know who they are.

Groups such as Teneo,
Honest Elections Project,
Consumers's Research and
Do No Harm
are examples of organizations that have adopted
the kind of #aggressive #tactics Leo encourages, according to a source close to the 85 Fund.

Those groups have run campaigns that have achieved measurable results, such as
Consumers' Research's work on ESG investing,
which has been featured in congressional hearings.

Decisions about future funding will be shared with the groups by the end of November, Leo's letter said.

Zoom out:

Leo helped build the #Federalist #Society, an organization for conservative law students,
into an incubator for lawyers and judges that reshape the federal judiciary and American society.

He helped former President Trump select three conservative jurists for the Supreme Court
— Neil #Gorsuch, Brett #Kavanaugh and Amy Coney #Barrett.
They've transformed federal law on issues ranging from #abortion #rights (overturning Roe v. Wade) to #federal #rule-#making.

In 2022, the New York Times revealedhow a nonprofit Leo controls,
the #Marble #Freedom #Trust, received a ️$1.6 billion contribution from a conservative donor, #Barre #Seid,
who gifted the shares of the company he founded before they were sold.

Leo has an estimated
️$1 billion left to spend,
according to the Financial Times.

Leo, who is credited with the initial $1.6 billion windfall to Marble Freedom Trust, has been responsible for raising donations and support for the 85 Fund.

Between the lines:

Behind Leo's new push is his admiration for what he views as successes of progressive nonprofit groups
such as The #Wyss #Foundation and the
#Berger #Action #Fund,
supported by #Hansjörg #Wyss.

Leo is also convinced that liberal organizations and ideas have captured most influential institutions in government,
media, entertainment and academia.

"They invested in talent pipelines to populate the power centers inside government,
where policy would be implemented,"
Leo writes.

"They incubated litigation as a means of leveraging the law to produce change."

The other side:

As Leo's prominence and influence have increased,
his methods and his conservative network have drawn scrutiny
— and provoked outrage
— in progressive circles.

https://www.axios.com/2024/09/12/leonard-leo-conservative-groups-funding