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Leonard Leo
June 3, 2025
Matt Ford
Trump’s War With Leonard Leo Could Expose a Conservative Legal Scam
The former Federalist Society power broker used the president to achieve judicial supremacy. Now all that work could get wrecked by the monster he turned loose.
June 3, 2025
Harry Litman
Why Trump Moved Leonard Leo From the Short List to the Sh*t List
Conservative legal scholars believe in things like originalism and the Second Amendment. Donald Trump’s OK with those, but he really believes in only one thing.
May 30, 2025
Edith Olmsted
Trump Rips His Own Dark Money Buddy in Bonkers Rant Over Tariff Losses
Donald Trump tore into Leonard Leo, who recommended several of Trump’s Supreme Court picks.
April 4, 2025
Ellie Quinlan Houghtaling
Trump Already Hit With Lawsuit Over Tariffs—From Unexpected Group
It appears that literally no one is happy with Donald Trump’s tariffs.
September 17, 2024
Katherine Stewart
Leonard Leo’s Extremely Revealing Letter to a Dark-Money Group
The right-wing power broker’s call to “weaponize” conservative ideas tells us everything we need to know about his twisted vision for America.
July 27, 2023
Matt Ford
Leonard Leo’s Slippery Trick for Dodging the Scrutiny of Congress
The Federalist Society’s leader is hoping to pluck a “get out of jail free” card from Donald Trump’s back pocket.
June 30, 2023
Michael Tomasky
How We’ll Defeat the Federalist Society and Take Back the Supreme Court
It’s a long fight—but it has already begun, with promising results.
May 16, 2023
Magazine
Nina Burleigh
Who Is Leonard Leo’s Mysterious Dark Money King?
America needs to know who Barre Seid is, what kind of country he wants, and just how massive an impact his $1.6 billion gift can have on our political discourse.
May 8, 2023
Matt Ford
How Clarence Thomas Keeps the Influence Machine Running
The justice has consistently ruled in ways that favor political favor-traders.
July 11, 2022
Katherine Stewart
How Leonard Leo Became the Power Broker of the American Right
The Federalist Society kingpin has exerted more influence on the country’s rightward drift than almost anyone in conservative circles, including presidents. He’s not done by a long shot.
February 3, 2021
Peter Hammond Schwartz
Originalism Is Dead. Long Live Catholic Natural Law.
On the “postliberal” future of the federal courts
October 12, 2020
Magazine
Alex Shephard
Oligarch of the Month: Leonard Leo
The Washington insider has been working for decades to put conservatives on the state and federal bench.
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