EXCLUSIVE — Conservative activist Leonard Leo claims that Democrats and liberal media outlets aiming to “delegitimize the Supreme Court” are essentially trying to undermine its decisions.
“The drive to delegitimize the Supreme Court has likely been ongoing for about three or four years, hitting a peak after the Dobbs case ruling and in the lead-up to it,” Leo informed Fox News Digital.
“Senate Democrats understood that when several conservative justices were appointed and confirmed, they would issue rulings on significant issues like abortion, religious freedoms, and the Second Amendment that their hard-left billionaire backers and advocacy groups would not approve of,” Leo elaborated. “Consequently, they lost those confirmations, and the left-aligned groups they partner with have lost many of these cases.”
The Supreme Court notably overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, effectively terminating the acknowledgment of a constitutional right to abortion and granting states the authority to permit, restrict, or prohibit the practice entirely. This ruling, delivered in the case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, placed the Supreme Court under significant scrutiny, leading to consistent attacks from Democrats and their media allies.
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Conservative activist Leonard Leo claims that Democrats and liberal media outlets are striving to undermine the Supreme Court’s decisions. ((Photo by Michael Robinson Chavez/The Washington Post via Getty Images))
Leo, a prominent fundraiser and legal activist associated with the Federalist Society, which has significantly influenced the conservative judiciary and drawn considerable media attention and criticism, asserts that attempts to “dismantle” the court are efforts to undermine its authority.
“It’s regrettable because this institution holds significant importance in our nation. I believe all justices, whether conservative or liberal, decide cases based on their interpretation of the law,” Leo remarked.
“They aren’t making decisions influenced by undue pressure or conflicts of interest,” he continued. “I don’t think any justice on the court acts other than to sincerely interpret the law as they perceive it.”
Leo expressed that he believes “liberal justices misinterpret the law,” but he does not question their intentions.
“I think they aim to accomplish the same goal as conservative justices, interpreting the Constitution as they believe a judge ought to,” he stated.
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Leonard Leo is “very troubled” by the media’s coverage of the Supreme Court. (Fox News Photo/Joshua Comins)
Leo is “deeply concerned” about how media outlets have reported on the Supreme Court and its decisions over the years for various reasons. MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow has labeled it “flagrantly corrupt.” Former MSNBC host Keith Olbermann called for the total dissolution of the institution after it overturned a ban on former President Trump from Colorado’s ballot, among other attacks.
“To begin with, many articles written about the court’s actions focus on the case outcomes, and whether people approve or disapprove of those outcomes,” Leo explained.
“That perspective misses the essence of what the court does. The issue isn’t whether you approve of an outcome but rather what the law requires,” Leo continued. “Regrettably, much media coverage portrays the court as if it were a legislature or political body… encouraging the public to perceive it that way, judging it based on personal preferences rather than legal requirements.”
Leo himself has faced critical media attention due to his substantial influence and successful fundraising that has facilitated the appointment of conservative judges.
MSNBC’s Chris Hayes labeled him in 2023 as “possibly the most powerful person in the world that hardly anyone knows about,” and not positively.
“If there’s one man… besides Donald Trump who is responsible for overturning Roe v. Wade, it’s him,” Hayes remarked regarding Leo.
Rolling Stone frequently criticizes Leo, calling him a “Supreme Court Puppet Master,” with several unflattering profiles in liberal media.
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“Leo has influenced this Court significantly and has effectively prevented its Republican justices from straying from his – and their – narrow ideological perspective of America,” remarked Dennis Aftergut from Lawyers Defending American Democracy in Salon.
ProPublica published an extensive article exceeding 9,000 words on Leo in 2023, indicating he is too significant to overlook. The New York Times acknowledged in 2022 that Leo’s achievements have made him a primary target of left-wing criticism.
“Trump isn’t reshaping the Supreme Court. Leonard Leo is,” asserted HuffPost in 2018. The Guardian referred to him as the “architect of the right-wing takeover of the American judiciary.”
When asked about being a focal point for media scrutiny, Leo commended the collective effort spanning over decades to restore textualism in the judiciary. He mentioned that the accomplishments of this movement fuel President Biden’s recent call for a radical overhaul of the Supreme Court, which would introduce term limits and a new ethics code for justices.
“The persistent endeavor within the conservative movement to reshape the Supreme Court and the federal judiciary, and to align it with the Constitution as it was originally interpreted, has been an immensely successful collective effort dating back to Ronald Reagan in the 1980s,” he noted. “Thus, the decisions that have agitated Democrats and spurred Biden’s ethics and term limit proposals are fundamentally the culmination of many years of dedicated work from numerous conservatives stretching back to the Reagan era. It stands as perhaps the most remarkable success story of the contemporary conservative movement.”
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Additionally, Leo expressed frustration that recent media narratives have focused on unrelated issues, such as flags displayed outside Justice Samuel Alito’s residence and accusations that Justice Clarence Thomas has received extravagant gifts that sway his judgments. The spouses of both justices have also faced unwarranted scrutiny.
“Many stories have surfaced concerning ethics, undue influences, hospitality, and flags, as well as the various justices’ wives who might choose to display them,” he stated.
“These discussions contribute to an atmosphere of scandal without substantiating evidence. Where’s the evidence that shows a set of decisions altered because these justices’ wives hold conservative views, or due to some kind of undue influence or external pressure?” Leo questioned. “Where’s the smoking gun?”
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Report contributed by Fox News Digital’s Ramiro Vargas.
