{"id":2570618,"date":"2026-02-17T11:37:02","date_gmt":"2026-02-17T16:37:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/soros-and-major-charities-bankroll-group-backing-jury-nullification-effort-in-dc\/"},"modified":"2026-02-17T11:42:58","modified_gmt":"2026-02-17T16:42:58","slug":"soros-and-major-charities-bankroll-group-backing-jury-nullification-effort-in-dc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/soros-and-major-charities-bankroll-group-backing-jury-nullification-effort-in-dc\/","title":{"rendered":"Soros and major charities bankroll group backing jury nullification effort in DC"},"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\">24<\/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%2Fsoros-and-major-charities-bankroll-group-backing-jury-nullification-effort-in-dc%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=2570618&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>An investigative piece in the Washington Examiner reports that several large mainstream philanthropies are funding the Center for Community Change and Community Change Action, which in turn sponsor Free DC, a Washington, D.C.-based group that promotes jury nullification and what it describes as non-cooperation with law enforcement. From 2020 to 2024, about $40 million flowed to Community Change and Community Change Action from Democratic donors, unions, and affiliated groups, with the Soros family networks providing the largest single share (roughly $13.4 million). Other major donors include the Ford Foundation, the Carnegie Corporation, the Packard Foundation, groups linked to pierre Omidyar, the Heising Simons foundations, and donor networks such as Tides and Arabella Advisors; several unions also contributed.<\/p>\n<p>Free DC operates under fiscal sponsorship of its parent organizations, meaning it uses their tax-exempt status and administrative resources without registering separately with the IRS. The group has held regular seminars under its \u201cJuror Data Project,\u201d teaching attendees how to influence juror outcomes to advance political aims and allegedly impede federal enforcement during the Trump administration, according to the article. These trainings are reportedly well attended, and Free DC\u2019s materials describe jury nullification as a vehicle for political activism.<\/p>\n<p>The piece notes examples in D.C. grand juries where indictments were not returned in cases tied to protests against immigration enforcement, raising concerns that jurors could be engaging in nullification. Critics, including law professors and former government officials, argue that such efforts undermine the rule of law. Free DC did not respond to requests for comment.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Mainstream liberals join Soros in bankrolling group backing DC jury nullification effort<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2256567\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>Some of the largest charities in the world are bankrolling a pair of nonprofit organizations that serve as the parent organizations for a group encouraging jury nullification and &ldquo;<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/freedcproject.org\/event-list\/non-cooperation-theory-practice-nov16\">non-cooperation<\/a>&rdquo; with law enforcement in the nation&rsquo;s capital, a <em>Washington Examiner <\/em>review of tax disclosures has found.<\/p>\n<p>Between 2020 and 2024, the most recent year for which information is available, mainstream philanthropies, foundations headed by major Democratic donors, Democrat-aligned dark money groups, major labor unions, and nonprofit group grant makers linked to the family of liberal megadonor George Soros have pumped roughly $40 million into the Center for Community Change and Community Change Action, records <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/spreadsheets\/d\/1kQGdA9L7sT5uWXSw7YQgVgokVw5ikpetEBcam02zTbA\/edit?usp=sharing\">show<\/a>. Community Change and Community Change Action serve as the parent organizations to Free DC, a local group that critics have accused of encouraging jury nullification in politically sensitive cases.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4460008\/ken-paxton-frames-john-cornyn-establishment-candidate-first-rally-early-voting\/\">Paxton frames Cornyn as establishment candidate in first rally of campaign as early voting begins<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4459900\/democrats-recognize-must-deliver-less-chaotic-results-guy-benson\/\">Democrats recognize they must &#8216;deliver less chaotic results&#8217; to regain power: Guy Benson<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/state\/4457870\/texas-early-voting-competitive-primary-races\/\">Texas opens early voting for competitive primary races<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>Free DC&rsquo;s website <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/freedcproject.org\/privacy\">indicates<\/a> that it is a &ldquo;fiscally hosted special project&rdquo; of the duo of nonprofit organizations. A <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/3484513\/republicans-target-liberal-nonprofits-tides-foundation\/\">fiscal sponsorship<\/a> means that Free DC is housed within Community Change and Community Change Action and can take advantage of their tax-exempt status, administration resources, funds, and other services without itself registering with the IRS.<\/p>\n<p>Not all the money donated to Community Change and Community Change Action, however, goes directly to Free DC. Some donations, for instance, are earmarked for other projects housed within the nonprofit group&rsquo;s network. The <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>&rsquo;s analysis only included contributions marked for &ldquo;general support&rdquo; and similarly broad purposes, as those support the broader infrastructure that Free DC benefits from.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Free DC has, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/freedcproject.org\/events\">for months<\/a>, been hosting regular seminars as part of its &ldquo;Juror Information Project,&rdquo; teaching attendees how they can &ldquo;<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/freedcproject.org\/event-list\/juror-information-project-overview-session-jan12\">influence outcomes<\/a>&rdquo; for the sake of equity, according to the group&rsquo;s website. The goal of these lectures is to inform possible D.C. jurors on how they can make jury duty an opportunity for political activism by impeding the Trump administration, the <em>Washington Post <\/em><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/dc-md-va\/2025\/12\/28\/free-dc-anti-trump-resistance\/\">reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The jury trainings are reportedly well attended, with Free DC&rsquo;s website indicating they often run out of space for participants. A journalist with the <em>Washington Post <\/em>reported approximately two dozen individuals attended one such event.<\/p>\n<p>As these training sessions have continued, observers have <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/3792526\/pirro-faces-grand-jury-problem-as-dc-residents-refuse-to-indict-anti-trump-suspects\/\">noticed a trend<\/a> in Washington: suspected criminals with clear evidence against them are failing to be indicted by grand juries or convicted at trial. These defendants are often accused of assaulting or otherwise impeding federal law enforcement officers deployed by the Trump administration.<\/p>\n<p>The lack of indictments, coupled with the seemingly clear evidence of crimes tied to efforts to impede the Trump administration, has led some observers to suspect jury nullification &mdash; a process through which juries can opt to let a defendant go if they feel it is the right thing to do, regardless of what the law says.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;May I suggest another possibility? Federal grand juries in the District of Columbia, made up (almost) entirely of critics of President Trump, are engaging in nullification of the Trump Administration&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-to-meet-with-eric-adams-next-week\/\" title=\"Biden To Meet With Eric Adams Next Week\">federal law enforcement efforts<\/a>,&rdquo; Josh Blackman, a law professor at South Texas College of Law, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/reason.com\/volokh\/2025\/08\/30\/grand-jury-nullification-in-the-district-of-columbia\/\">wrote<\/a> for <em>Reason <\/em>in August 2025. &ldquo;Historically, at least, the concept of jury nullification was viewed as a popular check against tyrannical governments. I imagine an average D.C. resident who can take time off from work to serve extended periods of federal grand jury duty may see himself in that fashion.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Alex Soros, left, on behalf of his father George Soros, in the East Room of the White House, Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo\/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>In one case, three D.C. grand juries voted against indicting a woman who allegedly assaulted an FBI agent outside the D.C. jail while protesting immigration enforcement, leaving the female agent with a lacerated hand. In another case, a man who was caught on camera throwing a sandwich at a law enforcement officer in D.C. failed to be indicted with a felony by a grand jury and was later acquitted by  a different jury of a misdemeanor charge.<\/p>\n<p>One individual who a D.C. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/houston-texans-quarterback-will-not-face-criminal-charges-for-sexual-assault-allegations\/\" title=\"Houston Texans Quarterback Will Not Face Criminal Charges For Sexual Assault Allegations\">grand jury declined<\/a> to indict was, according to prosecutors, caught on camera stating that he would &ldquo;protect the Constitution by any means necessary,&rdquo; including &ldquo;killing the president.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Though jury nullification is a concept considered radical by many, Free DC&rsquo;s parent organizations have received checks from some of the biggest names in philanthropy.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The Carnegie Corporation of New York, for instance, gave Community Change and Community Change Action $1.7 million between 2020 and 2024. The David and Lucile Packard Foundation provided roughly the same amount over the same period. The Ford Foundation, one of the nonprofit group network&rsquo;s largest backers, gave it roughly $5.6 million.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>By far the <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >largest single publicly disclosed backer<\/a> of Community Change and Community Change Action was the Soros family. Grantmaking outfits funded and controlled by the Soros family poured $13.4 million into the duo of nonprofit organizations between 2020 and 2024. Charities linked to Pierre Omidyar, a liberal philanthropist who has been likened to Soros, provided $600,000 in support of the duo of nonprofit organizations.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Other big names in Democratic politics cut big checks as well.<\/p>\n<p>The Heising Simons Action Fund and the Heising Simons Foundation, led by a married pair of Democratic megadonors for whom the nonprofit organizations are named, gave close to $3.5 million to the pair of organizations fiscally sponsoring Free DC.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Organizations in the Tides network, one of the biggest Democrat-aligned dark money outfits, provided just over $2 million in support, while those operating, at the time, under the similarly aligned Arabella Advisors network, gave Community Change and Community Change Action approximately $2.5 million. Future Forward USA Action, the primary dark money operation that backed former President Joe Biden, and later Vice President Kamala Harris, for their presidential bids, also tossed the two nonprofit organizations a quarter of a million dollars in 2024.<\/p>\n<p>Even unions got in on the actions, with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, Chicago Teachers Union, International Union of Painters and Allied Trades, National Education Association, and the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union cutting a slew of five and six-figure checks to the groups housing Free DC.<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/3889662\/soros-paid-aoc-learn-from-communists-staying-luxury-hotels\/\"><strong>SOROS PAID FOR AOC TO LEARN FROM ACTUAL COMMUNISTS WHILE STAYING IN LUXURY HOTELS<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;When these groups tell people to use jury service to &lsquo;protect our people&rsquo; and advance a political cause, they&rsquo;re not <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/left-wing-dc-group-coaches-residents-on-how-to-influence-outcomes-as-jurors\/\" title=\"Left-wing DC ... coaches residents on how to &#039;influence outcomes&#039; as jurors\">neutrally explaining civic duty<\/a>,&rdquo; Mike Davis, former chief counsel for nominations for Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA), previously told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>. &ldquo;They&rsquo;re encouraging prospective jurors to ignore the law and the judge&rsquo;s instructions in favor of leftist ideology. That&rsquo;s an effort to rig outcomes before a trial even begins.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Free DC did not respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Paraphrase:<br \/>\nA Washington Examiner review of tax filings shows that several major charities and foundations tied to liberal donors, including groups connected to George Soros, are funding two nonprofit groups that house Free DC, a local effort in Washington, D.C. that promotes jury nullification and non-cooperation with law enforcement. From 2020 through 2024, about $40 million flowed to the Center for Community Change and Community Change Action from mainstream philanthropic donors, Democratic-aligned dark-money networks, large labor unions, and Soros-family grantmakers.<\/p>\n<p>Free DC operates as a fiscally sponsored project of these two groups, meaning it uses their tax-exempt status and support services without itself needing IRS registration. Not all donations go directly to Free DC; some are earmarked for other projects within the network. Free DC has been hosting regular \u201cJuror Information Project\u201d seminars to teach attendees how to influence outcomes \u201cfor equity,\u201d according to its site. The lectures aim to educate potential D.C. jurors on making jury duty a vehicle for political activism against the Trump administration, per the Washington Post. The trainings reportedly draw sizable crowds and sometimes fill available space.<\/p>\n<p>Observers have noted instances in Washington where grand juries or juries did not indict or convict individuals accused of offenses related to interactions with federal officers, which some attribute to jury nullification. Critics say the groups are encouraging jurors to ignore the law and judges\u2019 instructions to advance a left-leaning political agenda, effectively shaping trial outcomes before they begin. Free DC did not respond to requests for comment.<\/p>\n<p>Funding highlights: The Carnegie Corporation of New York and the David and Lucile Packard Foundation each contributed around $1.7 million; the Ford Foundation provided about $5.6 million. The Soros family was the largest disclosed backer, with about $13.4 million. Other heavy supporters included Pierre Omidyar-linked organizations (roughly $600,000), the Heising Simons Foundation and Action Fund (about $3.5 million combined), and networks like Tides (just over $2 million) and Arabella Advisors (about $2.5 million). Future Forward USA Action contributed $250,000 in 2024. Unions such as AFSCME, the Chicago Teachers Union, IUPAT, the NEA, and UFCW also gave six-figure sums. Critics maintain these donors are pushing jurors to ignore the law to advance political aims. Free DC did not comment.<\/p>\n<p>55-character limit headline:<br \/>\nLiberal donors back DC jury-nullification group<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":894,"featured_media":2570619,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/AP120125016705.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[73943,73941,73942],"class_list":["post-2570618","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-dc-politics-2","tag-george-soros-2","tag-jury-nullification-2"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/AP120125016705.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2570618","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\/894"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2570618"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2570618\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2570627,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2570618\/revisions\/2570627"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2570619"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2570618"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2570618"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2570618"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}