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Carrie Campbell Severino

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Carrie Campbell Severino (born 1976/1977)[1] is an American lawyer and conservative political activist. She is the president of the Concord Fund, where she supported the Supreme Court nominations of Amy Coney Barrett and Brett Kavanaugh. She is the coauthor (with Mollie Hemingway) of Justice on Trial: The Kavanaugh Confirmation and the Future of the Supreme Court.

Carrie Severino
Born
Carrie Campbell

1976 or 1977 (age 47–48)
EducationDuke University (BA)
Michigan State University (MA)
Harvard University (JD)
SpouseRoger Severino

Background and early career

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Severino, born Carrie Campbell, grew up in Michigan. Her father is an oncologist, and her mother is a nurse.[2]

Severino attended Duke University, graduating in 1999 with a B.A. in biology. In 2001 she received a master's degree in Linguistics from Michigan State University.[3]

While attending Harvard Law School, she met her future husband Roger Severino, two years ahead of her there. Both were active with the law school's Society for Law, Life and Religion, a conservative anti-abortion group.[4]

In 2004, after receiving her JD from Harvard Law School, Severino worked as a law clerk for Judge David B. Sentelle of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.[2][3]

She was a law clerk to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas for a year (2007–2008).[5] She later spent time at Georgetown University Law Center with an Olin/Searle Fellowship,[6] an award funded by the Federalist Society that "offers top young lawyers with a scholarly bent the opportunity to spend 1-2 years to write and develop their scholarship with the goal of entering the legal academy."[7]

Judicial Crisis Network

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Main article: Concord Fund

On March 22, 2010, the Judicial Crisis Network (now called the Concord Fund) hired Severino as their policy director and chief spokesperson.[8]

The Concord Fund is an American conservative advocacy organization, described in 2020 by OpenSecrets as having "unmatched influence in recent years in shaping the federal judiciary."[9] JCN has worked closely on judicial appointments with conservative Catholic activist Leonard Leo and with the Federalist Society, which is in the same hallway of a DC office building.[10][11][12] In 2022, JCN's "About" page describes her role as "chief counsel and policy director."[13]

Severino and the Concord Fund have played a prominent role in several political battles related to the United States Supreme Court. In 2016, Mother Jones described Severino as "a leader of the current conservative campaign to block any Obama Supreme Court nominee."[14] Under her leadership, the Judicial Crisis Network spent more than $5 million on the campaign to oppose Obama's 2016 nomination of Merrick Garland for the Supreme Court.[15]

During the 2016 Presidential election Severino and the Judicial Crisis Network made filling the seat to which Garland had been nominated a central issue. Asserting that Trump's victory reflected voters' wish for conservatives on the Supreme Court, Severino announced JCN's plan to spend $10 million campaigning for Neil Gorsuch's appointment.[16] Severino attended the White House swearing-in ceremony for Gorsuch.[17]

Severino also played a prominent role in the Judicial Crisis Network campaign to support the confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court, on which JCN spent $4.5 million in ad buys. In an appearance on CNN, Severino defended Kavanaugh from allegations of sexual assault by Christine Blasey Ford, saying that the allegation "covered a whole range of conduct, from boorishness to rough horseplay to actual attempted rape."[18] Jia Tolentino, writing in The New Yorker, criticized the "horseplay" comment as minimizing what Tolentino described as "sexual assault."[19]

In September 2020, after the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Severino and Judicial Crisis Network enlisted support from what Severino called a "war room" of pro-Catholic and pro-business advocacy groups including the Susan B. Anthony List, Catholic Vote, America First Policies, the Club for Growth and Heritage Action.[20][21] The Judicial Crisis Network launched a $2.2 million campaign to support President Trump's right to appoint a judge prior to the November 2020 presidential election.[22]

In a widely reported presentation to the Judiciary Committee during confirmation hearings for Amy Coney Barrett, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse singled out Severino by name as a major player in what he called "a $250 million dark money operation" to influence the selection of judges.[23][24] Severino defended the practice of groups such as the JCN receiving funding from anonymous donors, saying that the goal of anonymity was not secrecy, but rather to protect her donors from "harassment" if their names were made public.[20][25]

Justice on Trial

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Severino is the coauthor (with Mollie Hemingway) of Justice on Trial: The Kavanaugh Confirmation and the Future of the Supreme Court (2019). According to The Washingtonian, the book "hit bestseller lists" in the summer of 2019.[26] The book attracted both positive and negative comments.

James R. Copeland in the Washington Post called the book "a must-read for those who follow the politics of the federal judiciary", saying that "Hemingway and Severino frame the Kavanaugh story in the broader judicial confirmation context" beginning with 1987's fight over Robert Bork and covering what he calls "the campaign against Severino’s mentor [Justice Clarence] Thomas four years later."[27]

John Kass in the Chicago Tribune called it a "highly readable bestseller" that "starts out like a thriller — with the fate of the republic in the balance."[28]

Lara Bazelon in Politico criticized the book as "so one-sided that it read more like a legal brief written by two very competent and fiercely committed advocates" but added that "Hemingway and Severino do make important points" concerning the presumption of innocence.[29]

Personal life

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Severino is married to Roger Severino, the former head of the Department of Health and Human Services’s Office for Civil Rights.[20] They have six children. Both Severinos are conservative Catholics.[20]

References

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  1. ^ Williamson, Elizabeth (October 15, 2020). "With Barrett Nomination, a D.C. Conservative Power Couple Nears Its Dream". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 16, 2023.
  2. ^ a b "Carrie Severino |President of the Judicial Crisis Network". Independent Women's Forum. Archived from the original on February 8, 2022. Retrieved January 2, 2022. Severino, 43, grew up in Michigan, the daughter of an oncologist father and a mother who was a nurse. Carrie went to Duke University and, intending to pursue the family career path, started out in pre-med.
  3. ^ a b "About". Judicial Network. Archived from the original on October 22, 2020. Retrieved October 24, 2020.
  4. ^ Blank, Jonas (April 24, 2003). "All the Right's Moves". Harvard Law Bulletin. Archived from the original on January 10, 2022. Retrieved January 2, 2022. 'I think it's a de facto silencing, where you want to choose your battles or get tired of sounding like the "crazy conservative freak,"'said Carrie Campbell '04, vice president of HLS's 10-year-old Society for Law, Life and Religion, a group that opposes abortion rights.
  5. ^ "Carrie Severino Chief Counsel and Policy Director, Judicial Crisis Network". National Journal. Archived from the original on March 8, 2022. Retrieved March 10, 2022. Severino is not new to supporting judges with conservative judicial philosophies, having joined JCN five years after its 2005 founding. Severino, who clerked for Justice Clarence Thomas in 2007, and the group were animated in part by senators' and progressive activists' opposition to Supreme Court nominee Robert Bork in 1987.
  6. ^ ""The John M. Olin Fellowships and the Advancement of Conservatism in Legal Academia" (Harvard Journals of Law and Public Policy 39:3, 2010, p. 935)" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on March 10, 2022. Retrieved March 20, 2022.
  7. ^ "Olin-Searle Faculty Fellowship". Federalist Society. March 9, 2021. Archived from the original on February 8, 2022. Retrieved February 7, 2022. The Olin-Searle Fellowship program offers top young lawyers with a scholarly bent the opportunity to spend 1-2 years to write and develop their scholarship with the goal of entering the legal academy.
  8. ^ "Judicial Crisis Network Adds Carrie Severino as Chief Counsel and Policy Director". Judicial Crisis Network. March 22, 2010. Archived from the original on August 12, 2010. Retrieved February 7, 2022. Today the Judicial Crisis Network (Formerly: The Judicial Confirmation Network/www.judicialnetwork.com) added Carrie Severino as the new Chief Counsel and Policy Director. Mrs. Severino will serve as JCN's chief spokesperson as well as provide legal analysis and strategic guidance.
  9. ^ Massoglia, Anna; Levine, Sam (May 27, 2020). "Conservative 'dark money' network rebranded to push voting restrictions before 2020 election". OpenSecrets. Archived from the original on March 11, 2022.
  10. ^ O'Harrow, Robert Jr.; Boburg, Shawn (May 21, 2019). "A conservative activist's behind-the-scenes campaign to remake the nation's courts". Washington Post. Archived from the original on February 15, 2021. Retrieved February 8, 2022. JCN's office is on the same hallway as the Federalist Society in a downtown Washington building, though JCN's website and tax filings list a mailing address at a different location, an address shared by multiple companies...When a Post reporter visited the JCN offices to ask questions, a security guard contacted a longtime employee of the Federalist Society to see whether anyone at JCN was available. A Federalist Society employee then escorted the reporter to JCN's office.
  11. ^ "The Secrets of Leonard Leo, the Man Behind Trump's Supreme Court Pick". Daily Beast. July 24, 2018. Archived from the original on March 9, 2022. Retrieved March 9, 2022. Carter says, despite whatever legal separations exist between JCN and the Federalist Society, "JCN is absolutely Leonard's group. Carrie was working out of the Federalist Society office. Federalist Society staff babysat her kids as the JCN project was launched…
  12. ^ "In Gorsuch, Conservative Activist Sees Test Case for Reshaping the Judiciary". New York Times. March 18, 2017. Archived from the original on April 6, 2017. Retrieved March 9, 2022. This more public part of the push — Mr. Leo has never been particularly comfortable in the spotlight — has been handled by Ms. Severino, 40, a Harvard Law School graduate who served as a clerk to Justice Thomas and is a frequent speaker at Federalist events.
  13. ^ JCN "About" (archived February 5, 2022)
  14. ^ Mencimer, Stephanie (March 16, 2016). "President Obama Taps Merrick Garland for Supreme Court Seat". Mother Jones. Archived from the original on February 8, 2022. Retrieved February 7, 2022. Severino, a former clerk to Justice Clarence Thomas and a leader of the current conservative campaign to block any Obama Supreme Court nominee, claims these two gun-related decisions indicate Garland 'has a very liberal view of gun rights'
  15. ^ Everett, Burgess (November 18, 2016). "Judicial Crisis Network already running ads ahead of Trump SCOTUS pick". POLITICO. Archived from the original on November 8, 2020. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
  16. ^ "Judicial Crisis Network Launches $10 Million Campaign to Preserve Justice Scalia's Legacy, Support President-Elect Trump Nominee - Judicial Crisis Network". May 15, 2018. Archived from the original on May 15, 2018. Retrieved October 25, 2020. JCN spent more than $7 million in its Let the People Decide effort, and it expects to spend at least $10 million to confirm the next justice. .
  17. ^ "Gorsuch's Dark-Money Benefactor Attended His White House Swearing-In Ceremony". Slate. April 10, 2017. Archived from the original on March 10, 2022. Retrieved March 9, 2022. the JCN isn't entirely anonymous: It has a public face in Carrie Severino, the group's chief counsel and policy director...Severino attended Gorsuch's swearing-in ceremony at the White House Rose Garden on Monday morning.
  18. ^ Relman, Eliza. "Spokeswoman for group supporting Kavanaugh says sexual assault allegations could have been 'rough horseplay'". Business Insider. Archived from the original on October 28, 2020. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  19. ^ "After the Kavanaugh allegations Republicans offer a shocking defense: Sexual assault isn't a big deal" Archived June 26, 2021, at the Wayback Machine (The New Yorker, September 20, 2018)
  20. ^ a b c d Williamson, Elizabeth (October 15, 2020). "With Barrett Nomination, a D.C. Conservative Power Couple Nears Its Dream". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on October 23, 2020. Retrieved October 24, 2020.
  21. ^ Samuels, Brett (September 26, 2020). "Conservative groups unleash ad blitz in support of Barrett's nomination". TheHill. Archived from the original on October 26, 2020. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  22. ^ "Judicial Crisis Network launches $2.2M ad buy backing Trump Supreme Court pick". Washington Examiner. September 21, 2020. Archived from the original on October 28, 2020. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
  23. ^ Johnson, Jake (October 14, 2020). "'Look for Power in the Shadows': Watch Sheldon Whitehouse Shine Light on 'Dark Money Operation' Behind GOP Supreme Court Takeover". Common Dreams. Archived from the original on February 8, 2022. Retrieved February 7, 2022. we have again anonymous funders running through something called the Judicial Crisis Network, which is run by Carrie Severino, and it is doing PR and campaign ads for Republican judicial nominees...The woman who helped choose this nominee has written briefs for Republican senators attacking the ACA.
  24. ^ Pierce, Charles P. (October 13, 2020). "Sheldon Whitehouse Made the Case That Amy Coney Barrett's Nomination Is a Bag Job". Esquire. Archived from the original on February 10, 2022. Retrieved February 9, 2022. He showed the connections between the Federalist Society and the Judicial Crisis Network, and he showed the outsized influence of Leonard Leo and Carrie Severino
  25. ^ "Barrett ads tied to interest groups funded by unnamed donors". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on October 30, 2020. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  26. ^ "30 Essential Books About Washington". The Washingtonian. November 24, 2019. Archived from the original on February 9, 2022. Retrieved February 9, 2022.
  27. ^ Copland, James R. (November 8, 2019). "Inside the battle over Kavanaugh, from 'handmaid' protesters to Bible verses". Washington Post. Archived from the original on January 14, 2021. Retrieved February 9, 2022.
  28. ^ Kass, John (August 8, 2019). "In her book on Justice Brett Kavanaugh, 'Justice on Trial,' Mollie Hemingway warns of things to come". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on February 9, 2022. Retrieved February 9, 2022.
  29. ^ Bazelon, Lara (September 29, 2019). "What 2 Deep-Dive Books on Kavanaugh Taught Me About Truth in the Trump Era". Politico. Archived from the original on January 27, 2022. Retrieved February 9, 2022. their book was so one-sided that it read more like a legal brief written by two very competent and fiercely committed advocates.
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