Raw Story: Federalist Society charted Alito's path 25 years ago

[deminks]

http://rawstory.com/news/2005/Federalist_Society_charted_Alitos_path_25_0129.html

Twenty-five years ago, at the very first meeting of the Federalist Society, the networking began between conservative lawyers who have helped steer Judge Alito toward his "likely ascent" to the Supreme Court, according to a front page story slated for Monday's New York Times, RAW STORY has learned.

Referring to the organization as "a kind of shadow conservative bar association," the article reveals the influence Leonard A. Leo, vice president of the society, has had through the process.

Excerpts from the article by David Kirkpatrick:

During their narrow and politically costly victory in the 1991 confirmation of Justice Clarence Thomas, the Federalist Society lawyers forged new ties with the increasingly sophisticated network of grass-roots conservative Christian groups like Focus on the Family in Colorado Springs and the American Family Association in Tupelo, Miss. Many Christian conservative pastors and broadcasters had railed for decades against Supreme Court decisions that outlawed school prayer and endorsed abortion rights.

....

As long ago as the end of 2004, Leo of the Federalist Society tapped 18 conservative lawyers to research the records of 18 potential Supreme Court picks, including Roberts and Alito, people involved in the effort said.

[Mike Nelson]

1. Not Surprised

Roberts and Alito will support Bush and the Christianization of America.

[WinkyDink]

16. HAHA! Too bad it won't be...CHRISTIAN!

You know, like clothing the naked, feeding the hungry,....

[Mike Nelson]

17. Sorry, poor choice of words...

Nothing about Bush strikes me as "Christian" (in the truest sense of The Word).

[Coexist]

2. I can't wait to read the rest. eom

[applegrove]

3. Bingo! But we knew it.

[Maat]

4. I became aware of that horrid organization a couple of years ago..

when I read David Brock's "Blinded by the Right." He goes into how every nominee to any court must have been a member of that society in BoooshAmerika. Most of us know David as the head honcho at Media Matters.

I was working on my law degree (doctorate - J.D.) then; I was horrified that such an organization existed.

I suspected the above, having read David's book.

[Mabus]

9. I dated one of them in law school

Let me rephrase that, I went on a date with one of them. We met in the stacks (isn't that always the case :eyes: ). He was kind of cute and I was single. He said he had noticed me around the school yada, yada, yada, did I want to go to a movie? Did I mention I thought he was cute? Yeah, I went. By the time we got to the theater I realized I had made a mistake. He babbled incessently about the Federalist Society and then he started praising Reagan. I had never wanted to jump out of a car in traffic so badly. I finally had enough and challenged him on Reagan and the Cold War. I pissed him off when I asked, "if Reagan had caused the Berlin Wall to come down then why was it only Gorby who got the Nobel Peace Prize?" He was stunned and didn't have a scripted comeback. Oh yeah. We did go to see the movie. Afterwards, he drove me home and we never spoke again.

[Maat]

10. HeeHee.

My sympathies for that experience!

I'm glad you safely exited that situation.

[Mabus]

11. Oh, I learned a lesson

:rofl: He was a libertarian subspecies of the federalist society. Looking back on it I think he was attractive because he was an older student like myself. Law school was something that I had always considered but I didn't make it there until later. I guess 1L insecurities got the better of me and I learned my lesson. After that I only went out with the young ones. :spank:

[FreedomAngel82]

13. LOL

That's a great Reagan come back. I'll have to remember that!!

[Mabus]

15. If for any reason they say Reagan was shut out of it for political reasons

ask them why the GOP and/or all those Reagan loving Americans haven't protested it or made a big deal of it? Because they know they can't support that argument.

It makes their little heads explode. They don't have a talking point.

[in_cog_ni_to]

5. "shadow conservative bar association"

why am I not surprised?

He has been "groomed" for this over the last 25 years. Roberts too. Snakes.:grr:

[FreedomAngel82]

14. This is why they didn't want those papers out on Roberts

[deminks]

6. The NYT story is up now.

I posted on LBN.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=2073538&mesg_id=2073538

[indigonation]

7. Reich wing conspiracy

A bit of an agenda there? And they say the liberals are activist judges.

[bear425]

8. 5th vote to the greatest page. Happy to do it for this important story. n/

[FreedomAngel82]

12. Yep

This is why Bush got him and Roberts. Bush is a true Federalist. This is why he has such support from the rightwinger "Christian" groups who are also really federalists.

[mmonk]

18. Bingo

Thank the Alito democrats.