Carrie Severino
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CARRIE SEVERINO CHIEF COUNSEL AND POLICY DIRECTOR, JUDICIAL CRISIS NETWORK Life in Brief Quick Summary Hometown: Kent County, Michigan Sophisticated judicial activist leading advocacy campaigns to confirm conservative judges Current Residence: Washington, DC Metro across the country. Savvy use of campaign Area funding, national advertising, and direct outreach has played crucial role in confirming Trump Education: appointees • BS in Biology, DuKe University, 1999 • MA in Linguistics, Michigan State • Conservative legal activist with University, 2001 textualist/originalist approach to the Constitution • JD, Harvard Law School, 2004 • Fundamental legal views further developed out of law school while clerking for conservative Family: judges on the DC Circuit and for Justice • Husband Roger Thomas Severino is also Clarence Thomas a lawyer, serving as the Director of the • Since 2010 has led Judicial Crisis Network as Office for Civil Rights at the U.S. Chief Counsel and Policy Director; shifted the Department of Health and Human organization to invest more resources in state Services and local campaigns during the Obama • Six children Administration • Along with the Federalist Society, set the Work History: agenda in the 2016 campaign by circulating a • Chief Counsel and Policy Director, list of acceptable conservative federal nominees Judicial Crisis NetworK, 2010-Present • Uses wide-ranging approach to push judicial • Fellow and Dean’s Visiting Scholar, nominees, including targeted advertisement in Georgetown University Law Center, key marKets, national campaigns, frequent 2008-10 personal media appearances, and direct • Law ClerK for Supreme Court Justice engagement with lawmakers. Channels Clarence Thomas, 2007-08 resources to reward lawmakers for supporting • Law ClerK, Becket Fund for Religious Administration nominees Liberty, 2005-06 • Law ClerK, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Approach and Motivations DC Circuit, 2004-05 Singularly focused on confirmation of conservative justices • Though Severino often comments publicly on court decisions and legal issues, her approach to policy focuses entirely on supporting the confirmation of conservative judges and justices • In her own views on federal jurisprudence, supports originalist interpretations of the Constitution, judicial restraint, and limited government • Is a devout Catholic, which directly informs many of her policy views PEOPLE RESEARCH SERVICE 1 CARRIE SEVERINO JUDICIAL CRISIS NETWORK Policy Positions and Areas of Focus Core Communities Focuses her energies on confirming Works primarily with conservative legal conservative federal, state, and local judges activists and scholars Judicial Confirmations – Severino’s primary Judicial Crisis Network – JCN was initially set goal is promotion and outreach in support of up and funded by well-connected Republican judicial nominees business executives and lawyers • Helped rebrand the Judicial Confirmation • Ann Corkery, influential fundraiser and Network as the Judicial Crisis Network lawyer involved in organizing launch of JCN following the election of President Obama, • Robin Arkley II, real estate magnate, and increasingly focused on funding local involved in the startup and funding of JCN and state-wide elections to expand the • Neil Corkery, former JCN treasurer and number of conservative judges nation-wide prominent conservative fundraiser with his • With the Federalist Society, helped push list wife Ann of acceptable potential nominees in the 2016 • Gary Marx, rising conservative star and first campaign Executive Director • Has made extensive national advertising purchases to support Trump Supreme Court Federalist Society – Works in tandem with the nominations Federalist Society to support conservative • Directs advertising and outreach to nominations and develop lists of potential lawmakers in support of confirmation nominees campaigns • Leonard Leo, Executive Vice President • Was extremely vocal in support of Justice • Steven Calabresi, Chairman of the Brett Kavanaugh following sexual assault Federalist society and Northwestern allegations Professor • Issues sharp critiques of legal groups like • Eugene Meyer, President of the Federalist the American Bar Association accusing them Society of liberal bias and of raising unfounded slander and allegations to prevent Conservative Commentators – Focused on conservative confirmations supporting Administration policy goals and judicial nominees Conservative Legal Issues – Adheres to • Mollie Hemingway, co-author and The traditional conservative legal orthodoxy Federalist (online magazine) senior editor • Advocates textualist/originalist • Greg Jarrett, Fox News legal analyst interpretations of the Constitution • Andrew C McCarthy, former U.S. Attorney • Argues for judicial restraint in rulings, and National Review contributing editor/legal especially on political issues like redistricting expert where she does not see a role for the courts • Strongly opposes abortion and supports religious freedom rulings, drawing on devout Catholic background 1 PEOPLE RESEARCH SERVICE 2 CARRIE SEVERINO JUDICIAL CRISIS NETWORK TITLE Selected Publications Media Appearances Writes regularly in conservative opinion Appears regularly across the full spectrum of media, and recently published a book media outlets to advocate for conservative charting the events surrounding Justice Brett legal causes and judges Kavanaugh’s confirmation TV – Regularly appears on MSNBC, Fox Book – Recent book sharply criticizes the News, CNN, C-SPAN, and ABC. perceived unfairness of Justice Kavanaugh’s • Fox News: July 2019, discussed the legacy confirmation hearings of recently deceased Justice John Paul • With Mollie Hemingway, Justice on Trial: Stevens The Kavanaugh Confirmation and the Future • The Hill TV: September 2018, speaking on of the Supreme Court, 2019. Criticized use limited evidence regarding allegations about of “unverified accusations” to slander Kavanaugh Kavanaugh • C-SPAN: “Newsmakers” interview, discussing recent Supreme Court decisions, Articles – Provides updates on confirmations July 2019 in conservative publications and critiques liberal judicial views and tactics Speaking Engagements • “Judicial-Nominations Update,” National Occasionally speaks publicly in conservative Review, November 2019 legal forums, typically related to Supreme • “Demand Justice’s SCOTUS List Is Too Court cases of the confirmation of judges Extreme Even for Obama,” National Review, • Federalist Society discussion on 2019 October 2019 Supreme Court term, October 2019 • With Mollie Hemingway, “The Moment • Federalist Society discussion on the book Kavanaugh’s Foes Overplayed Their Hand,” Justice on Trial, September 2019 The Daily Signal, July 2019 • Hillsdale College Kirby Center discussion • “Another Trump Judicial Nominee, Another with Mollie Hemingway on their booK, Smear,” National Review, August 2019 Justice on Trial, July 2019 Financial Donations Supports establishment Republican politicians with modest donations • $250, John Adams for Virginia, 2017 (also held event valued at $1,488) • $250, Marco Rubio for President, 2016 • $350, Moll for Congress, 2013 • $500, Romney for President, 2012 PEOPLE RESEARCH SERVICE 3 CARRIE SEVERINO JUDICIAL CRISIS NETWORK TITLE Criticisms and Controversies Info From Formative Years Attracts criticism for lack of transparency in Mentored early in her career by Clarence JCN’s spending on controversial issues Thomas; approaches law issues with an • Following the election of Barack Obama, originalist perspective JCN significantly increased the flow of dark • Raised devout Catholic money to state and local elections • Following her graduation from Harvard Law, • Spent substantial funding on national clerked for the DC Circuit and for advertising campaign in support of Justice conservative Justice Clarence Thomas Brett Kavanaugh during his confirmation process Family Background Profiles Others Have Written Raised in Michigan by devout Catholic Severino is a private person, but limited parents profiles feature the growth of JCN • Raised Catholic • Met husband, Roger Severino—who is also Viveca Novak and Peter Stone, “The JCN Story: devoutly Catholic—at Harvard Law. Roger How to Build a Secretive, Right-Wing Judicial Severino is a strong proponent of religious Machine,” The Daily Beast, 2017 freedom and has led the development of • Profile by Daily Beast describes the founding policies that supporters see as advancing and rise of JCN during the Bush and Obama religious liberty but that critics see as Administrations discriminatory toward the LGBTQ community PEOPLE RESEARCH SERVICE 4 .