These days, the news is almost too depressing to read. So I'll take good news any way I can get it. Along those lines is the fact that the month of May has been a pretty bad one for Leonard Leo - the man Justice Clarence Thomas once called “the Number Three most powerful person in the world.” Of course, Thomas was only joking...sort of.
In case you're not familiar with Leo, he's the Opus Dei Catholic who used dark money to stack the Supreme Court with extremists and then proceeded to pour millions into groups seeking to influence the Court. He has openly stated that his goal is to influence all aspects of American politics and culture by crushing liberal dominance.
The bad new for Leo started early on in May when Cardinal Robert Prevost was chosen as the new pope, Leo XIV. While it remains unclear how he will interact with right wing Catholics in the United States, one of his first meetings was with the Opus Dei prelate, Monsignor Fernando Ocáriz. Apparently Pope Francis had begun the process of reforming the group, but it stalled after his death. It's clear that Pope Leo is prepared to pick up that ball, insisting on reforms.
Given that Leonard Leo's focus has been to ensure a court that supports Catholic theocracy (integralism) and sides with big corporate interests, the fact that the new pope chose the name "Leo" is also relevant. The previous Pope Leo is remembered as one who was dedicated to social policies and social justice.
One of the barriers to Leo's goal of establishing a Catholic theocracy is the First Amendment's separation of church and state. In order to challenge the Supreme Court's interpretation of that amendment, Leo funded a court case promoting a publicly funded Christian school in Oklahoma.
At issue is the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Oklahoma’s push to create the St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School, which would be the nation’s first religious school entirely funded by taxpayers. The school received preliminary approval from the state’s charter school board in June. If it survives legal challenges, it would open the door for state legislatures across the country to direct taxpayer funding to the creation of Christian or other sectarian schools.
In other words, this case was a BFD!
The second blow to Leonard Leo came on May 22nd when this happened:
The Supreme Court on Thursday effectively ended a publicly funded Catholic charter school in Oklahoma, dividing 4-4.
The outcome keeps in place an Oklahoma court decision that invalidated a vote by a state charter school board to approve the St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School, which would have been the nation’s first religious charter school.
Finally, you may have heard that this week President Trump directly attacked Leo. Here's what he wrote on Truth Social:
I was new to Washington, and it was suggested that I use The Federalist Society as a recommending source on Judges. I did so, openly and freely, but then realized that they were under the thumb of a real “sleazebag” named Leonard Leo, a bad person who, in his own way, probably hates America, and obviously has his own separate ambitions.
That attack came on the heels of the Trump administration losing 96% of rulings in federal district courts during the month of May. Seventy-two percent (72%) of those ruling came from Republican-appointed judges. So now Leo, according to Trump, is a "sleazebag" who hates America.
Far be it from me to defend Leo against those attacks. It couldn't happen to a more deserving *sshole.
But the whole situation is a cautionary tale to anyone who signs up to support Trump. The president has no policy or moral foundation. All he wants is 100% loyalty to his needs. If that isn't provided...you're simply a sleaze bag who hates America.
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