“In every vital activity, it is the path that matters.” Ancient African Proverb 

Judge Aileen Cannon has been a member of the Federalist Society since 2005, according to a judicial nominee questionnaire she submitted to the Senate Judiciary Committee in April 2020. The group is made up of conservative and libertarian lawyers, law students, and scholars. Cannon said she joined the Federalist Society as a University of Michigan Law School student. She was asked during her confirmation process about why she joined the group.

Here’s the thing about the Federalists Society you may not know, according to Peggy Quince and Lauren Rikleen, Lawyers Defending American Democracy, approximately 90% of Donald Trump’s appointments to the federal judiciary are or were members of the Federalist Society, including six of the nine US Supreme Court justices–Chief Justice John Roberts (former), Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barnett (former).

These are the same justices who, espousing judicial restraint, ignored precedent and overturned Roe v. Wade, eviscerated portions of the Voting Rights Act of 1964, and seem poised to gut it even more during this term. Thomas, in his concurring opinion overturning Roe, said that “in future cases, we should reconsider all of this Court’s substantive due process precedents, including Griswold, Lawrence, and Obergefell.” Stay Tuned!