The Birth of the New Legal Right
Forty-four years ago, a conservative legal convention offered disaffected students an identity—and hope.
TL;DR
- The Federalist Society was founded in the early 1980s by three law students seeking a platform for conservative legal debate.
- Robert Bork's speech at the first conference introduced originalism, a legal philosophy focusing on the Constitution's original intent.
- The society quickly expanded, gaining traction within the Reagan administration and among law schools nationwide.
- Currently, all Supreme Court justices appointed by Republican presidents are members of the Federalist Society.
- The organization provided marginalized conservatives with an identity, community, and strategy, impacting legal and political landscapes.
- Bork criticized the media and academia as liberal institutions influencing the judiciary, advocating for a return to the Founding Fathers' interpretation of the Constitution.
- Bork suggested that issues like abortion should be decided by individual states, aligning with the principles of local control.