{"id":1569257,"date":"2022-07-25T07:35:23","date_gmt":"2022-07-25T11:35:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1569257"},"modified":"2022-07-25T07:35:30","modified_gmt":"2022-07-25T11:35:30","slug":"dark-money-groups-are-funding-the-lefts-court-packing-agenda","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/dark-money-groups-are-funding-the-lefts-court-packing-agenda\/","title":{"rendered":"Dark Money Groups Are Funding The Left\u2019s Court-Packing Agenda"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fdark-money-groups-are-funding-the-lefts-court-packing-agenda%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1569257&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>It\u2019s telling that House Democrats unveiled their latest effort to <a href=\"https:\/\/justthenews.com\/politics-policy\/house-democrats-push-bill-add-four-seats-supreme-court\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">pack the Supreme Court<\/a> at an event hosted by \u201cdark money.\u201d Hidden donors pushing an unpopular, radical agenda from the shadows is the left\u2019s <em>modus operandi.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Meet <a href=\"https:\/\/www.influencewatch.org\/non-profit\/take-back-the-court\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Take Back the Court<\/a>, the \u201cdark money\u201d group that claims <a href=\"https:\/\/www.takebackthecourt.today\/judiciaryact\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">credit<\/a> for \u201cmov[ing] the window on court expansion\u201d from the fringe to the Democratic Party\u2019s mainstream\u2014proof that the activist tail is wagging the Democratic dog.<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019re <a href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20200104172446\/https:\/www.takebackthecourt.today\/mission\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">told<\/a> by these far-left activists that the Supreme Court\u2019s \u201cextremist majority\u201d is too politicized because it was \u201cstolen\u201d by right-wing boogeymen, who\u2019ve captured the entire appointment and confirmation process with \u201cdark money.\u201d So Take Back the Court plans to put the fix in by adding four new seats for card-carrying \u201cprogressives,\u201d scheme enthusiasts believe couldn\u2019t possibly backfire in the future.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The lead sponsor of their <a href=\"https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/bill\/117th-congress\/house-bill\/2584?q=%7B%22search%22:%5B%22Judiciary+Act+of+2021%22%5D%7D&#038;r=1&#038;s=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">preferred bill<\/a>, Rep. Hank Johnson, D-Ga., <a href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/homenews\/house\/3564588-house-democrats-offer-bill-to-add-four-seats-to-supreme-court\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">believes<\/a> the current Supreme Court is \u201cat crisis with itself and with our democracy.\u201d Worse, it\u2019s threatening to \u201cusurp the power of the legislative and executive branches.\u201d In a flash, Democrats have rediscovered federalism. Although Johnson\u2019s bill has been gathering dust for a year, Take Back the Court is working to keep it on life support. Yet a closer look at the group itself ought to raise some eyebrows.<\/p>\n<p>Oddities abound. Oddity #1: Take Back the Court is run by Aaron Belkin, a <a href=\"https:\/\/politicalscience.sfsu.edu\/aaron-belkin\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">self-described dancer<\/a> and San Francisco State University professor specializing in \u201csexuality in the armed forces.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Belkin also runs the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.palmcenter.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Palm Center<\/a>, which advocates for transgenderism in the military. Bizarrely, in 2019 the center shuffled nearly <a href=\"https:\/\/projects.propublica.org\/nonprofits\/organizations\/273039386\/202111529349300846\/IRS990ScheduleI\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">$813,000<\/a>\u2014about <em>half<\/em> of its total expenses that year\u2014to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.influencewatch.org\/non-profit\/take-back-the-court-action-fund\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Take Back the Court Action Fund<\/a>, Belkin\u2019s 501(c)(4) lobbying wing. The center is a \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/projects.propublica.org\/nonprofits\/organizations\/273039386\/202023219349313192\/IRS990ScheduleR\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">controlling entity<\/a>\u201d over the Bay Area advocacy group, but Belkin seemingly has nothing to do with the courts.<\/p>\n<p>Oddity #2: The original donor behind this mysterious cash infusion remains a mystery. But six- and seven-figure grants can be traced back to the center from the foundation of <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Jennifer_Pritzker\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Jennifer (formerly James) Pritzker<\/a>, a transgender ex-colonel of those <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Pritzker_family\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">billionaire Pritzkers<\/a> in Chicago, including Illinois\u2019 Democrat Gov. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.influencewatch.org\/person\/j-b-pritzker\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">J.B. Pritzker<\/a>. Whether that money was passed through to pack the Supreme Court is unclear.<\/p>\n<p>Then there\u2019s oddity #3. Despite its name, Take Back the Court Action Fund is called the \u201c1\/20\/21 Action Fund\u201d in the IRS archives. Its last <a href=\"https:\/\/apps.irs.gov\/pub\/epostcard\/cor\/832210730_201812_990EO_2020020417104325.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">public disclosure<\/a> is from 2018, which ought to raise serious transparency questions. Nonprofits are legally required to file annual disclosures to maintain tax exemption. Where are the rest?<\/p>\n<p>By the way, that reference to Inauguration Day (January 20, 2021) reveals the organization\u2019s partisan intentions. In 2019, the organization launched <a href=\"https:\/\/capitalresearch.org\/app\/uploads\/pack-the-courts-kate-kendall-take-back-the-courts-2019.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Pack the Courts<\/a>, a campaign to urge \u201cDemocrats to expand the courts after they take control of the White House and Congress,\u201d run by the former director of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.influencewatch.org\/non-profit\/national-center-for-lesbian-rights\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">National Center for Lesbian Rights<\/a>, who now runs the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.influencewatch.org\/non-profit\/california-endowment\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">California Endowment<\/a>, a liberal mega-funder.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Take Back the Court\u2019s website <a href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20200104172446\/https:\/www.takebackthecourt.today\/mission\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">boasts<\/a> that the only way to \u201csave democracy\u201d is for \u201cDemocrats [to] return to power in 2020\u201d by \u201cretaking control of the Senate and White House.\u201d Its other co-founders, Laurence Tribe and Mark Tushnet\u2014both left-wing Harvard professors\u2014aim to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.boston.com\/news\/politics\/2018\/10\/16\/new-campaign-seeks-support-for-expanded-supreme-court\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">defeat<\/a> \u201cRepublican obstruction, theft and procedural abuse\u201d of the courts, while Tribe repeatedly demanded Democrats <a href=\"https:\/\/www.msnbc.com\/the-last-word\/watch\/laurence-tribe-trump-committed-high-crimes-and-misdemeanors-72826949675\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">impeach<\/a> President Donald Trump. This is ugly partisanship masquerading as philanthropy, and it won\u2019t end with packing the court.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Belkin <a href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Aaron-Belkin.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">testified<\/a> before President Joe Biden\u2019s court-packing commission last year that \u201cCourt expansion is unlikely to be the <em>last <\/em>Court reform we need.\u201d He declared that \u201cthe Supreme Court threatens the rights and well-being of the American people\u201d and is \u201can active participant in the Republican Party\u2019s attempts to destroy American democracy and govern via minority rule.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A tax-exempt nonprofit labeling the nation\u2019s top court an enemy of America is utterly breathtaking. Calling that nonprofit\u2019s work \u201ccharity\u201d is beyond absurd.<\/p>\n<p>Then there\u2019s Take Back the Court\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.takebackthecourt.today\/foundation-advisory-board\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">advisory board<\/a>, which includes Nancy Gertner, a member of Biden\u2019s Court-packing commission; \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/capitalresearch.org\/article\/radical-lives-matter\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">trained Marxist<\/a>\u201d and Black Lives Matter co-founder <a href=\"https:\/\/www.influencewatch.org\/person\/alicia-garza\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Alicia Garza<\/a>; Heather McGhee, a Democratic operative and ex-president of the far-left think tank <a href=\"https:\/\/www.influencewatch.org\/non-profit\/demos\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Demos<\/a>; Evan Wolfson, founder of the gay marriage advocacy group <a href=\"https:\/\/www.influencewatch.org\/non-profit\/freedom-to-marry\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Freedom to Marry<\/a>; and Manny Yekutiel, finance director for Hillary Clinton\u2019s 2016 presidential campaign.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s disturbing that any tax-deductible 501(c)(3) nonprofit\u2014what the IRS terms \u201cpublic charities\u201d\u2014would even tag itself \u201cTake Back the Court\u201d while operating in the same part of the tax code as your local church or the Salvation Army. But it shows just how far the hyper-political-activist left has trampled the idea of philanthropy rooted in Christianity: loving your neighbor. Clearly, the left\u2019s god is politics.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Progressives, the mask is slipping.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-comments mt-30 mt-sm-60\">\n<div class=\"article-comments-container d-flex flex-column align-items-center py-30\">\n    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"110\" height=\"106\" src=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/fdrlst-mark.svg\" class=\"img-fluid mb-20\" alt=\"The Federalist logo eagle mark\" \/>    <\/p>\n<p>Unlock commenting by joining the Federalist Community.<\/p>\n<p>    <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/plans\/pricing\/\" class=\"btn btn-on-white\">Subscribe<\/a>  <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It\u2019s telling that House Democrats unveiled their latest effort to pack the Supreme Court at an event hosted by \u201cdark money.\u201d Hidden donors pushing an unpopular, radical agenda from the<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1179,"featured_media":1897795,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1569257","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_finder_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2022\/07\/25\/dark-money-groups-are-funding-the-lefts-court-packing-agenda\/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=dark-money-groups-are-funding-the-lefts-court-packing-agenda","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1569257","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1179"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1569257"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1569257\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1897795"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1569257"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1569257"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1569257"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}