MASTER PLAN, Ep. 9: The Swing Vote That Changed America

Once the master planners’ Federalist Society machine started cranking out conservative lawyers, Republican presidents did their part to get them installed on the U.S. Supreme Court. Ronald Reagan had no problem with one of his Federalist Society-affiliated appointments, Antonin Scalia. But he had more trouble filling the next vacancy when Lewis Powell retired in 1987. After his first candidate Robert Bork got borked, and a second nominee’s chances went up in flames thanks to a pot-smoking past, Reagan finally found a more palatable selection in Anthony Kennedy.

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Carefully watching this appointment was an Indiana lawyer who’d made it his life’s mission to outlaw abortion and gut campaign finance laws. James Bopp knew that Kennedy had a moderate reputation after siding with liberal justices on social issues, but his rulings on campaign finance cases began to signal that he could be open to helping the master planners further open the floodgates of dark money. 

Bopp got a chance to test his theory when the political advocacy group Citizens United planned to release Hillary: The Movie. Knowing that a film criticizing then-presidential candidate Hillary Clinton would likely violate the McCain-Feingold campaign finance law’s restrictions on electioneering, Bopp challenged the constitutionality of the law. 

A hidden drama at the Supreme Court began as Chief Justice John Roberts proposed a narrow ruling in the Citizens United case, while Kennedy pushed for a far-reaching decision. Behind the scenes, a scathing dissent vanished from the record — and the final ruling would go on to live in infamy, reshaping campaign finance law for years to come.

To access Episode 9 bonus content, like the agendas of confidential meetings between Ronald Reagan and Anthony Kennedy and investigative reports suggesting the young lawyer played fast and loose with campaign finance laws, become a paid subscriber at a discount right now.

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Episode 10: The Heist (Premium Access Only)

UPGRADE TO LISTEN NOW. Unleashed by the Citizens United ruling, the master planners launch a three-part heist to crack the vault protecting democracy itself. First, the schemers take out the security cameras monitoring dark money. Then, they disarm the last campaign finance cops on the beat. Finally, they pull off a getaway, so prosecutors can’t charge them as they run off with the loot.

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