The Dark Money Amicus Machine in U.S. v. Skrmetti

50 groups and individuals have filed anti-trans amicus briefs in the Supreme Court case U.S. v. Skrmetti. Here’s what to know about the flood of dark money and potential conflicts of interest in the case:

• Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti has ties to Leonard Leo — the architect of the right-wing capture of the Supreme Court who has cozy connections to multiple justices. Leo-tied groups are the biggest funders of the Republican Attorneys General Association, a pay-to-play group that helps lawyers like Skrmetti get levers of power in states. Skrmetti is also being supported by the law firm Consovoy McCarthy, which includes a partner who is also a key trustee in Leo’s billion-dollar funding operation called Marble Freedom Trust.

• 17 amicus briefs have ties to individuals who are closely connected to one or more of the nine Supreme Court justices, with the bulk of the connections through Leo. The Supreme Court’s low standards for potential conflicts of interest raised by amicus briefs allows conflicts to permeate.

• Other anti-trans amicus brief filers include the Alliance Defending Freedom and 14 other groups that are classified as anti-LGBTQ hate groups by the Southern Poverty Law Center. In all, 13 amicus briefs have at least one SPLC-designated hate group signed on.