The largely unknown man behind the U.S. judiciary’s shift to the right

Published December 20, 2023 at 4:00 AM CST

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Leonard Leo speaks at the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast in Washington DC on April 23, 2019. Leo is an Executive Vice President with the Federalist Society and a confidant of President Trump. He is a maestro of a network of interlocking nonprofits working on media campaigns and other initiatives to pressure lawmakers and generate public support for conservative judges. (Photo by Michael Robinson Chavez/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

One of the most powerful conservatives in America is the Federalist Society’s Leonard Leo. He may be best known for providing former President Trump with a list of potential judges.

Leo also helped create the Supreme Court’s conservative supermajority that overturned Roe v. Wade. He’s described as a puppet master who hand-picks ultra conservative judges and connects them with the rich and powerful.

Today, On Point: Who is Leonard Leo and how does he do it?

Guest

Andrea Bernstein, Peabody award-winning journalist. Reported the three-part podcast We Don’t Talk About Leonard along with Andy Kroll and Ilya Marritz. We Don’t Talk About Leonard is a co-production of WNYC’s On The Media and ProPublica.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.