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Checks and Balances (organization)

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Checks and Balances is a group of conservative and libertarian attorneys that was formed in November 2018.[1] It is composed of some members of the conservative-libertarian Federalist Society, which had assisted the Trump administration in selecting appointees for federal courts. Charter members of the new organization included, George Conway, Tom Ridge, Peter Keisler, Jonathan H. Adler, Orin Kerr, Lori S. Meyer, Paul McNulty, Phillip D. Brady, John B. Bellinger III, Carrie Cordero, Marisa C. Maleck, Alan Charles Raul, and Paul Rosenzweig, amongst others.[1][2][3][4] The group was formed to provide a conservative legal voice for responses when, in its words, "Trump attacks the Justice Department and the news media".[3][4]

Organization member Peter Keisler said the group had received an "overwhelmingly positive response", including from Federalist Society members,[5] however, the formation of the group was sharply criticized by Federalist Society leader Leonard Leo, saying he found "the underlying premise of the group rather offensive".

On October 10, 2019, the group released a statement offering its legal reasoning for an "expeditious" impeachment probe into President Trump.[6] Citing the Special Counsel's report, which highlights that the "Trump 2016 campaign was open to and enthusiastic about receiving Russian government-facilitated assistance to gain an advantage in the previous election", it outlined the recent facts regarding Trump's attempts to put pressure on Ukraine for his personal and political benefit.[7][8] After the statement by Checks and Balances was published, organization member George Conway said that the White House letter (reported by the Daily Beast as mostly written by Trump),[9] refusing to cooperate in the House of Representatives impeachment hearings, was "trash".[10]

In November 2023, an opinion piece in The New York Times by George Conway, J. Michael Luttig, and Barbara Comstock announced that Checks and Balances had become Society for the Rule of Law.[11][12]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Conservative Lawyers Say Trump Has Undermined the Rule of Law". Retrieved November 15, 2018.
  2. ^ Liptak, Adam. "Checks and Balances – Mission Statement". www.documentcloud.org. Retrieved November 15, 2018.
  3. ^ a b Veronica Stracqualursi; Laura Jarrett. "George Conway, conservative lawyers form group to speak out against Trump". CNN. Retrieved November 15, 2018.
  4. ^ a b "New Conservative Lawyers' Group 'Checks and Balances' Bristles at Trump". National Law Journal. Retrieved November 15, 2018.
  5. ^ "Axios Sneak Peek". Axios. Retrieved November 20, 2018.
  6. ^ Itkowitz, Colby (October 10, 2019). "George Conway and other prominent conservatives call for 'expeditious' impeachment probe". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on October 11, 2019.
  7. ^ Wise, Justin (October 10, 2019). "George Conway, conservative attorneys urge House to move quickly on impeachment". The Hill. Retrieved October 13, 2019.
  8. ^ "New Statement from Checks and Balances on President Trump's Abuse of Office". Checks and Balances. October 10, 2019. Retrieved October 13, 2019.
  9. ^ Stein, Asawin Suebsaeng|Sam (October 12, 2019). "Trump's Favorite Impeachment Lawyer Is ...Trump Himself". Retrieved October 13, 2019.
  10. ^ Kelly, Caroline. "George Conway: White House letter condemning impeachment proceedings is 'trash'". CNN. Retrieved October 13, 2019.
  11. ^ Conway, George; Luttig, J. Michael; Comstock, Barbara (November 21, 2023). "America Needs a Pro-Democracy Conservative Legal Establishment". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 21, 2023. Retrieved December 1, 2023.
  12. ^ Pengelly, Martin (November 21, 2023). "Prominent conservative lawyers band together to fight Trump threat". The Guardian. Retrieved December 1, 2023.
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