Why the conservative activist behind SCOTUS’ right-wing supermajority set his sights on Maine

06 September 2024

Maine isn't the first state that comes to mind when one thinks of the Federalist Society and its leader Leonard Leo. The right-wing judicial outfit's heaviest support comes from red states with a strong white evangelical presence, whereas Maine is a New England state that has been going Democratic in presidential elections.

Maine has a Democratic governor, Janet Mills. And Maine's Republican U.S. Senator, Susan Collins, is a moderate conservative who is pro-choice on the abortion issue.

But the Bangor Daily News' Billy Kobin, in an article published on September 6, details Leo's recent activities in Maine politics.

"The longtime Federalist Society leader who helped former President Donald Trump cement a conservative majority on the U.S. Supreme Court has used his advocacy group to give $375,000 to a political network affiliated with state Rep. Laurel Libby, R-Auburn, and he has also funded a group fighting offshore wind and lobstering regulations," Kobin reports. "The Concord Fund, a Virginia-based nonprofit that is part of Leo's network of influential conservative advocacy groups, had donated to the various Maine-based causes going back to 2022."

Kobin adds, "The latest support is a sign of his potential to more forcefully influence politics in a state that Democrats — in part by running better-funded campaigns — have controlled since 2018."

The Concord Fund, according to Kobin, is "the top donor to For Our Future, a political action committee led by conservative activist Alex Titcomb and tied to The Dinner Table, which Libby helped Titcomb form after winning election in 2020."

The Federalist Society, founded in 1982, has spent the last 42 years trying to move the United States' federal courts to the far right. And the U.S. Supreme Court, thanks in part to the Federalist Society, now has a 6-3 GOP-appointed supermajority that has done everything from overturn Roe v. Wade to outlaw affirmative action in college admissions.

Kobin notes, "A Leo spokesperson said the Concord Fund is also making 'significant contributions to the Maine Republican Party for state races and groups involved in the 2nd Congressional District race.'"

Read The Bangor Daily News' full report at this link.

From Your Site Articles