The Federalist Society

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The Federalist Society
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Basic facts
Location:Washington, D.C.
Type:501(c)(3)
Top official:Steven Calabresi, Chairman
Year founded:1982
Website:Official website


The Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy Studies (The Federalist Society) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., that aims to challenge what the group considers to be "a form of orthodox liberal ideology which advocates a centralized and uniform society" in the legal profession. As of December 2016, the group reported a membership of over 10,000 law students and 60,000 legal professionals across the United States and around the world.[1]

Mission

According to the organization's filings with the Internal Revenue Service, The Federalist Society has the following mission statement:

“ The Federalist Society exists to promote the principles that the state exists to preserve freedom, the separation of powers is central to our constitution, and that it is the duty of the judiciary to say what the law is, not what it should be.[2][3] ”

Background

The Federalist Society was founded in 1982 by a group of students from Yale Law School, the University of Chicago Law School, and Harvard Law School. According to the group's website, The Federalist Society seeks to support "the principles that the state exists to preserve freedom, that the separation of governmental powers is central to our Constitution, and that it is emphatically the province and duty of the judiciary to say what the law is, not what it should be." The organization endeavors to achieve its mission through the sponsorship of forums for its members to debate their views on legal principles.[4][5]

As of December 2016, The Federalist Society was organized into three main divisions. The organization's Student Division consisted of more than 10,000 law students. The division maintained chapters at each of the 196 ABA-accredited law schools across the country in addition to 24 chapters at international law schools, ABA-accredited satellite campuses, non-accredited law schools, and undergraduate campuses. Membership in the group's Lawyers Division, founded in 1996, exceeded 60,000 legal professionals and interested individuals with chapters in 80 cities across the United States. The organization's Faculty Division, established in 1999, aims to bring together law professors and academics "to help encourage constructive academic discourse."[4][6]

Work

The Federalist Society's activities are concentrated in four primary areas:

  • Student activities
    The group maintains chapters at law schools throughout the country and organizes more than 1,000 annual student events, including "lectures and debates featuring conservative and libertarian legal thought."[7]
  • Practice activities
    The Federalist Society organizes practice groups to connect its professional members and facilitate the exchange of ideas. The practice groups coordinate member programs, draft articles, and put together panelist groups for the annual National Lawyers Convention.[7][8]
  • Faculty activities
    The organization's Faculty Division aims to bring together "conservative and libertarian faculty" to promote scholarly discussion. The group also holds an annual Faculty Division conference.[7][9]
  • External affairs
    The Federalist Society launched the State Courts Project, now known as external affairs, in 2006 in order to spark debate with respect to state supreme courts and facilitate public knowledge of the judicial selection process.[7]

In addition to the group's programs and conferences, The Federalist Society hosts the annual National Lawyers Convention in Washington, D.C.[10]

Judicial selection

The Federalist Society has played a role in the judicial selection process for Republican presidents since the administration of former President Ronald Reagan (R). Reagan nominated Robert Bork and Antonin Scalia, both faculty advisors for The Federalist Society, to the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit and the United States Supreme Court. Lee Liberman Otis, a co-founder of the society, later led the judicial selection efforts of the White House Counsel's office under former President George H. W. Bush (R).[11]

Former President George W. Bush (R) took The Federalist Society's recommendations into consideration before nominating federal judges. His nominees to the Supreme Court, John Roberts and Samuel Alito, both had relationships with the society. In addition, roughly half of Bush's appointees to federal courts of appeals were society members. The Federalist Society also helped to assemble President Donald Trump's (R) list of 21 potential Supreme Court nominees. His eventual pick, Neil Gorsuch, is a member of the society.[11][12][13][14]

Leadership

As of December 2016, the following individuals held leadership positions with The Federalist Society:[15][16]

  • Steven Calabresi, Chairman
  • David McIntosh, Vice chairman
  • Gary Lawson, Secretary
  • Brent Hatch, Treasurer
  • Eugene Meyer, President
  • Leonard Leo, Executive vice president
  • Lee Otis, Senior vice president

Finances

The Federalist Society is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit organization. Its 501(c) designation refers to a section of the U.S. federal income tax code concerning charitable, religious, and educational organizations.[17] Section 501(c) of the U.S. tax code has 29 sections that list specific conditions particular organizations must meet in order to be considered tax-exempt under the section. Organizations that have been granted 501(c)(3) status by the Internal Revenue Service are exempt from federal income tax.[18] This exemption requires that any political activity by the charitable organization be nonpartisan in nature.[19]

According to the organization's website, The Federalist Society receives 90 percent of its funding through direct contributions from individuals and foundations. The remaining 10 percent is received through corporate donations. The organization does not receive funding from political parties or government entities.[20]

The following table displays total revenue and expenses for The Federalist Society from 2011 to 2014 according to the Internal Revenue Service:[2]

Annual revenue and expenses for The Federalist Society, 2011-2014
Tax year Total revenue Total expenses
2014 $18,197,898 $15,077,690
2013 $13,823,780 $13,935,875
2012 $13,721,279 $13,356,819
2011 $13,619,720 $13,128,249

Media

What is The Federalist Society? October 6, 2014

External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ The Federalist Society, "Our Background," accessed December 8, 2016
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 GuideStar, "Federalist Society for Law & Public Policy, accessed December 8, 2016
  3. ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Our
  5. ↑ Avery, Michael and McLaughlin, Danielle. (2013). The Federalist Society: How Conservatives Took the Law Back from the Liberals, Nashville, TN: Vanderbilt University Press. (pages 1-2)
  6. ↑ The Federalist Society, "Lawyers Division," accessed December 8, 2016
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Form
  8. ↑ The Federalist Society, "Practice Groups," accessed December 8, 2016
  9. ↑ The Federalist Society, "19th Annual Faculty Conference," accessed December 8, 2016
  10. ↑ The Federalist Society, "National Lawyers Convention," accessed December 8, 2016
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Slate, "Federalist Court," January 31, 2017
  12. ↑ The Nation, " Movin’ on Up with the Federalist Society," October 1, 2001
  13. ↑ Roll Call, "Trump’s Potential Court Picks Featured at D.C. Confab," November 18, 2016
  14. ↑ CNN, "Trump unveils his potential Supreme Court nominees," May 18, 2016
  15. ↑ The Federalist Society, "Staff," accessed December 9, 2016
  16. ↑ The Federalist Society, "Board of directors," accessed December 9, 2016
  17. ↑ Internal Revenue Service, "Exempt Purposes - Internal Revenue Code Section 501(c)(3)," accessed January 13, 2014
  18. ↑ Internal Revenue Service, "Life Cycle of a Public Charity/Private Foundation," accessed July 10, 2015
  19. ↑ Internal Revenue Service, "Exemption Requirements - 501(c)(3) Organizations," accessed January 13, 2014
  20. ↑ The Federalist Society, "Frequently Asked Questions," accessed December 9, 2016
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