NYT: Charity tied to US Sup. Court receives 'donations' to sway court
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The Supreme Court Historical Society, a charitable organization, has become a means of facilitating access to nine of the most reclusive and powerful people in the US.
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About 60% of the donations came from various entities which include corporations, special interest groups, lawyers, and firms that argued cases before the court
The New York Times revealed that a charitable foundation linked to the US Supreme Court collects donations from parties that want to influence court decisions.
The Supreme Court Historical Society, a charitable organization, has a stated, straightforward mission: to preserve the court’s history and educate the public about the court’s importance in American life.
But over the years, the association has become a means of facilitating access to nine of the most reclusive and powerful people in the nation, the report states.
Judges attend annual dinners organized by the association where they get to meet with donors and act as MCs in regular lectures sponsored by the foundation to influence public opinion or shed light on some controversial issues.
The report states that "the charity, the Supreme Court Historical Society, is ostensibly independent of the judicial branch of government, but in reality, the two are inextricably intertwined."
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Over the past two decades, the association has raised more than $23 million, and due to its nonprofit status, it is not required to publicly disclose its list of donors. But NYT managed to identify the sources behind some of the $10.7 million raised since 2003, the first year for which relevant records are available.
About 60% of the donations, totaling up to $6.4 million, came from various entities which include corporations, special interest groups, lawyers, and firms that argued cases before the court, records show.
Of that amount, at least $4.7 million came from individuals or entities in years when they had a pending federal court case on appeal or at the high court.
Among the donors included companies such as oil magnate Chevron which gave donations at a time when the company got involved in a 2021 Supreme Court case in which cities sought to hold the oil company accountable for its role in global warming.
Other donors also included Facebook, Time Warner, and Goldman Sachs. Interestingly, Goldman Sachs, according to NYT, "recently secured a Supreme Court victory making it harder for shareholders to mount class-action suits alleging securities fraud."
