Liberal Outlet Omits Leftist Group’s Dark Money Links in Supreme Court Critique

An article by Politico on a leftist group’s multimillion-dollar campaign targeting the Supreme Court has come under fire for omitting critical details about the group’s ties to dark money. The piece, penned by reporter Heidi Przybyla, described Demand Justice as a progressive “court reform” group, without mentioning its funding from shadowy sources.

Demand Justice announced a $10 million initiative to conduct opposition research on potential Supreme Court picks and mobilize key constituencies affected by the court’s decisions. This campaign follows a series of conservative victories at the court, including decisions bolstering the administrative state and upholding presidential immunity for official actions.

Key Points:

• Dark Money Ties: Demand Justice was initially a project of the Sixteen Thirty Fund, part of a leftist dark money network managed by Arabella Advisors, allowing funders to remain anonymous.

• Lack of Transparency: Przybyla's article did not address Demand Justice's background and its financial ties, which has sparked criticism from conservative commentators.

• Conservative Backlash: Erik Erickson labeled Przybyla a “leftwing hack,” accusing her of writing a “press release” for Demand Justice rather than an unbiased article.

Demand Justice broke off from the Sixteen Thirty Fund and registered as a nonprofit corporation in May 2021. Despite this, the group's historical and ongoing connections to dark money were absent from Przybyla's report. Notably, Przybyla has previously attracted attention for controversial statements, such as suggesting it was an extremist belief to claim rights come from God.

Conservative radio host Erik Erickson criticized Przybyla's omission, accusing her of undermining American institutions and providing partisan support for Demand Justice. Additionally, Przybyla's article criticized the Federalist Society, alleging that its board co-chair, Leonard Leo, leads a "deep-pocketed network of ultraconservative judicial activists."

Leo responded to the criticism in a statement to The Daily Wire, framing the spending campaign as an attempt to target the Supreme Court and distract from President Biden's faltering campaign. "Arabella’s dark money network has announced it will be spending another $10M to bully the Supreme Court it hates and try to distract from a dying Biden campaign," Leo said. "More evidence that the conservative legal movement is winning and that we’ve delivered tremendous value to our country."

Americans for Public Trust, a conservative government accountability group, also condemned the dark money influence. "The liberal dark money machine is working overtime as @WeDemandJustice spends $10 million to attack and smear the Supreme Court," the group posted on X (formerly Twitter). "REMINDER: Demand Justice, now an independent group, was originally incubated by the @ArabellaAdvisornetwork, and is still heavily funded by Sixteen Thirty Fund and George Soros."

The campaign against the Supreme Court aligns with broader Democratic frustrations. President Joe Biden has criticized the court, accusing it of extremism following recent decisions. "This decision today has continued the court’s attack in recent years on a wide range of long established legal principles in our nation," Biden said on Monday after the court sided with Trump on his immunity claims. "From gutting voting rights and civil rights to taking away a woman’s right to choose to today’s decision that undermines the rule of law of this nation."

As the battle over the Supreme Court intensifies, the influence of dark money on both sides of the political spectrum continues to be a contentious issue, raising questions about transparency and the integrity of American democracy.

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