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7 September 2018updated 10 Sep 2018 10:44am

Who are the Federalist Society? Inside the right-wing group picking Trump’s Supreme Court judges

How a group for libertarian law students founded in 1982 has come to dominate the judicial nomination process.

By Sophie McBain

When Brett Kavanaugh is confirmed as Supreme Court Justice, as he almost certainly will be, it will mean that five of the nine Supreme Court justices are members of the Federalist Society, a network of conservative and libertarian lawyers that has become one of the most powerful groups in America today.

The most enduring legacy of the Trump administration may be its remaking of the courts: in addition to two Supreme Court appointees (Trump’s other pick, the conservative Neil Gorsuch was appointed last January), Trump inherited 107 other judicial vacancies. According to New York Times figures, President Ronald Reagan inherited 35 unfilled judgeships and President Barack Obama had 54.

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