Carrie Severino
 | This article does not follow Wikipedia's guidelines on the use of different tenses. (January 2022) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) |
Script error: No such module "Draft topics". Script error: No such module "AfC topic".
Carrie Severino (née Campbell) is an American lawyer and conservative political activist. She is the head of the Judicial Crisis Network (JCN), where she has played an leading role in the campaigns to support the Supreme Court nominations of Amy Coney Barrett and Brett Kavanaugh. She is the coauthor (with Mollie Hemingway) of Justice on Trial: The Kavanaugh Confirmation and the Future of the Supreme Court.
Background and early career[edit]
Severino, born Carrie Campbell, grew up in western Michigan.[1] Her father is an oncologist, and her mother is a nurse.[2]
Severino attended Duke University, graduating in 1999 with a B.A. in Biology. In 2001 she received a Masters in Linguistics from Michigan State University.[3][4]
While attending Harvard Law School, she met her future husband Roger Severino, two years ahead of her there. Both were active with the law school's Society for Law, Life and Religion, a conservative anti-abortion group.[5][1]
In 2004, after receiving her JD from Harvard Law School, Severino worked as a law clerk for Judge David B. Sentelle of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.[2][4] She also spent time as a law clerk at The Beckett Fund for Religious Liberty.[3]
She was a law clerk to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas for a year (2007–2008.) She later spent time at Georgetown University Law Center with an Olin/Searle Fellowship, an award funded by the Federalist Society that "offers top young lawyers with a scholarly bent the opportunity to spend 1-2 years to write and develop their scholarship with the goal of entering the legal academy."[6]
Judicial Crisis Network[edit]
On March 22, 2010, the Judicial Crisis Network hired Severino as their policy director and chief spokesperson.[7]
The Judicial Crisis Network (JCN) is an American conservative advocacy organization closely affiliated with judicial activist Leonard Leo and with the Federalist Society.[8] In 2022, JCN's "About" page lists Severino as its only staff member, describing her role as "chief counsel and policy director."[9][1]
Severino and the JCN have played a prominent role is several political battles related to the United States Supreme Court. In 2016, Mother Jones described Severino as "a leader of the current conservative campaign to block any Obama Supreme Court nominee."[10] Under her leadership, the Judicial Crisis Network spent more than $5 million on the campaign to oppose Obama's nomination of Merrick Garland for the Supreme Court.[11]
During the 2016 Presidential election Severino and the Judicial Crisis Network made filling the seat to which Garland had been nominated a central issue. In total, Severino and Judicial Crisis Network pledged to spend $10 million to campaign for Neil Gorsuch's appointment.[12]
Severino also played a prominent role in the Judicial Crisis Network campaign to support the confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court, on which JCN spent $4.5 million in ad buys. Severino's appearance on CNN, during which she defended Kavanaugh from allegations of sexual assault by Christine Blasey Ford, saying that the allegation "covered a whole range of conduct, from boorishness to rough horseplay to actual attempted rape,"[13] was widely reported and discussed.[14][15][16][17]
In September 2020, after the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Severino and Judicial Crisis Network enlisted support from what Severino called a "war room" of pro-Catholic and pro-business advocacy groups including the Susan B. Anthony List, Catholic Vote, America First Policies, the Club for Growth and Heritage Action.[18][19] The Judicial Crisis Network launched a $2.2 million campaign to support President Trump's right to appoint a judge prior to the November 2020 presidential election.[18]
In a widely reported presentation to the Judiciary Committee during confirmation hearings for Amy Coney Barrett, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse singled out Severino by name as a major player in what he called "a $250 million dark money operation" to influence the selection of judges.[20][21] Severino defended the practice of groups such as the JCN receiving funding from anonymous donors, saying that the goal of anonymity was not secrecy, but rather to protect her donors from "harassment" if their names were made public.[22][23]
Justice on Trial[edit]
Severino is the coauthor (with Mollie Hemingway) of Justice on Trial: The Kavanaugh Confirmation and the Future of the Supreme Court (2019.)
According to the Washington Post:[24]
Hemingway and Severino frame the Kavanaugh story in the broader judicial confirmation context. They describe the organized campaign to derail Ronald Reagan’s unsuccessful nomination of Judge Robert Bork to the Supreme Court in 1987, which caught the White House unaware, and the campaign against Severino’s mentor [Justice Clarence] Thomas four years later. In the final chapter, they assess the future of the Supreme Court described in the book’s subtitle — and attempt to chart a course forward.
According to The Washingtonian, the book "hit bestseller lists" in the summer of 2019.[25] John Kass in the Chicago Tribune called it a "highly readable bestseller."[26]
The book attracted both positive and negative comments. Lara Bazelon in Politico criticized the book for being "one-sided," but added that "Hemingway and Severino do make important points" concerning the presumption of innocence.[27] James R. Copeland in the Washington Post called the book "a must-read for those who follow the politics of the federal judiciary."[24]
Personal Life[edit]
Severino is married to Roger Severino, the former head of the Department of Health and Human Services’s Office for Civil Rights.[22] They have six children. Both Severinos are conservative Roman Catholics.[22]
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Grimaldi, Christine (November 2, 2020). "Meet the Conservative Power Couple Behind Trump's War on Your Civil Rights". Medium. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
She's served the organization in a variety of roles over the decade, including chief counsel, policy director, and president. On JCN's website, she is the only staff member listed.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Carrie Severino |President of the Judicial Crisis Network". Independent Women's Forum. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
Severino, 43, grew up in Michigan, the daughter of an oncologist father and a mother who was a nurse. Carrie went to Duke University and, intending to pursue the family career path, started out in pre-med.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Carrie Severino CV". LinkedIn. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ 4.0 4.1 "About". Judicial Network. Retrieved 2020-10-24.
- ↑ Blank, Jonas (April 24, 2003). "All the Right's Moves". Harvard Law Bulletin. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
'I think it’s a de facto silencing, where you want to choose your battles or get tired of sounding like the "crazy conservative freak,"'said Carrie Campbell ’04, vice president of HLS's 10-year-old Society for Law, Life and Religion, a group that opposes abortion rights.
- ↑ "Olin-Searle Faculty Fellowship". Federalist Society. Retrieved February 7, 2022.
The Olin-Searle Fellowship program offers top young lawyers with a scholarly bent the opportunity to spend 1-2 years to write and develop their scholarship with the goal of entering the legal academy.
- ↑ "Judicial Crisis Network Adds Carrie Severino as Chief Counsel and Policy Director". Judicial Crisis Network. March 22, 2010. Archived from the original on August 12, 2010. Retrieved February 7, 2022.
Today the Judicial Crisis Network (Formerly: The Judicial Confirmation Network/www.judicialnetwork.com) added Carrie Severino as the new Chief Counsel and Policy Director. Mrs. Severino will serve as JCN’s chief spokesperson as well as provide legal analysis and strategic guidance.
- ↑ O'Harrow, Robert Jr.; Boburg, Shawn (May 21, 2019). "A conservative activist's behind-the-scenes campaign to remake the nation's courts". Washington Post. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
JCN’s office is on the same hallway as the Federalist Society in a downtown Washington building, though JCN’s website and tax filings list a mailing address at a different location, an address shared by multiple companies...When a Post reporter visited the JCN offices to ask questions, a security guard contacted a longtime employee of the Federalist Society to see whether anyone at JCN was available. A Federalist Society employee then escorted the reporter to JCN’s office.
- ↑ JCN "About" (archived February 5, 2022)
- ↑ Mencimer, Stephanie (March 16, 2016). "President Obama Taps Merrick Garland for Supreme Court Seat". Mother Jones. Retrieved February 7, 2022.
Severino, a former clerk to Justice Clarence Thomas and a leader of the current conservative campaign to block any Obama Supreme Court nominee, claims these two gun-related decisions indicate Garland 'has a very liberal view of gun rights'
- ↑ Everett, Burgess. "Judicial Crisis Network already running ads ahead of Trump SCOTUS pick". POLITICO. Retrieved 2020-10-25.
- ↑ "Judicial Crisis Network Launches $10 Million Campaign to Preserve Justice Scalia's Legacy, Support President-Elect Trump Nominee - Judicial Crisis Network". 2018-05-15. Archived from the original on 2018-05-15. Retrieved 2020-10-25.
- ↑ Relman, Eliza. "Spokeswoman for group supporting Kavanaugh says sexual assault allegations could have been 'rough horseplay'". Business Insider. Retrieved 2020-10-29.
- ↑ Relman, Eliza (September 18, 2018). "Spokeswoman for group supporting Kavanaugh says sexual assault allegations could have been 'rough horseplay'". Business Insider. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
- ↑ Mother Jones "Kavanaugh Backer Says Sexual Assault Allegation Could Have Been Just 'Rough Horseplay' (September 18, 2018)
- ↑ USA Today "Kavanaugh allegations: 'What boy hasn’t done this in high school?' Most haven't, experts say." (September 25, 2018)
- ↑ Petri, Alexandra. "Opinion | I am a horse. I know horseplay. That's not what this is". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2020-10-29.
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 "Judicial Crisis Network launches $2.2M ad buy backing Trump Supreme Court pick". Washington Examiner. 2020-09-21. Retrieved 2020-10-25.
- ↑ Samuels, Brett (2020-09-26). "Conservative groups unleash ad blitz in support of Barrett's nomination". TheHill. Retrieved 2020-10-29.
- ↑ Johnson, Jake (October 14, 2020). "'Look for Power in the Shadows': Watch Sheldon Whitehouse Shine Light on 'Dark Money Operation' Behind GOP Supreme Court Takeover". Common Dreams. Retrieved February 7, 2022.
we have again anonymous funders running through something called the Judicial Crisis Network, which is run by Carrie Severino, and it is doing PR and campaign ads for Republican judicial nominees...The woman who helped choose this nominee has written briefs for Republican senators attacking the ACA.
- ↑ Pierce, Charles P. (October 13, 2020). "Sheldon Whitehouse Made the Case That Amy Coney Barrett's Nomination Is a Bag Job". Esquire. Retrieved February 9, 2022.
He showed the connections between the Federalist Society and the Judicial Crisis Network, and he showed the outsized influence of Leonard Leo and Carrie Severino
- ↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 Williamson, Elizabeth (2020-10-15). "With Barrett Nomination, a D.C. Conservative Power Couple Nears Its Dream". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-10-24.
- ↑ "Barrett ads tied to interest groups funded by unnamed donors". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2020-10-29.
- ↑ 24.0 24.1 Copland, James R. (November 8, 2019). "Inside the battle over Kavanaugh, from 'handmaid' protesters to Bible verses". Washington Post. Retrieved February 9, 2022.
- ↑ "30 Essential Books About Washington". The Washingtonian. Retrieved February 9, 2022.
- ↑ Kass, John (August 8, 2019). "In her book on Justice Brett Kavanaugh, 'Justice on Trial,' Mollie Hemingway warns of things to come". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved February 9, 2022.
- ↑ Bazelon, Lara (September 29, 2019). "What 2 Deep-Dive Books on Kavanaugh Taught Me About Truth in the Trump Era". Politico. Retrieved February 9, 2022.
their book was so one-sided that it read more like a legal brief written by two very competent and fiercely committed advocates.
Categories[edit]
Carrie Severino[edit]
This article "Carrie Severino" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Carrie Severino. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.
