Capture lane

Judicial Capture

The Judicial Capture capture lane traces 671 verified events documenting this mechanism of institutional capture.

671 events From Jul 12, 1787 To Jun 18, 2026 Open in filter view →
Top 10 actors in this lane 10 actors · 1787–2026
Top actors in Judicial Capture179017951800180518101815182018251830183518401845185018551860186518701875188018851890189519001905191019151920192519301935194019451950195519601965197019751980198519901995200020052010201520202025WatergateReaganIran-Contra9/11Citizens UnitedTrump 1.0Trump 2.0U.S. Supreme Court156 eventsClarence ThomasJohn RobertsDonald Trump1415 eventsSamuel AlitoLeonard LeoFederalist SocietySupreme Court of the United StatesNeil GorsuchDepartment of Justice337 events
Capture lanecorruptiondemocraticexecutivefinancialintelligencejudiciallaborlegislativemediamilitaryotherregulatory Status confirmed alleged disputed
DateEventLanesStatus
2014-07-24European Court Rules Poland Violated Human Rights by Hosting CIA Torture Black Site 4 src
Central Intelligence Agency · Abu Zubaydah · Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri
confirmed
2014-06-25Supreme Court Rules Warrantless Cell Phone Searches Unconstitutional in Riley v. California 3 src
U.S. Supreme Court · John Roberts
confirmed
2014-06-19Alice Corp. v. CLS Bank: Supreme Court Restricts Software Patents, Reducing Patent Troll Leverage Over Abstract Business Methods 4 src
U.S. Supreme Court · Clarence Thomas
confirmed
2014-06-16Supreme Court backs broad discovery in Argentina debt case (Alito joined majority); Singer's fund later benefited 4 src
Samuel Alito · Paul Singer · U.S. Supreme Court
confirmed
2014-06-04Germany Opens Criminal Investigation Into NSA Tapping of Merkel's Phone 4 src
Angela Merkel · National Security Agency · Edward Snowden · Barack Obama
confirmed
2014-05-15FCC Approves Paid Prioritization "Fast Lanes" Proposal Despite Massive Public Backlash 3 src
Tom Wheeler · Federal Communications Commission · Google · Microsoft · +4
confirmed
2014-04-02Supreme Court Strikes Down Aggregate Campaign Contribution Limits in McCutcheon v. FEC 5 src
U.S. Supreme Court · John Roberts · Republican National Committee · Anthony Kennedy · +5
confirmed
2014-01-17Obama Announces Limited NSA Reforms While Preserving Core Surveillance Programs 4 src
Barack Obama · National Security Agency · FISA Court · Edward Snowden
confirmed
2014-01-14Verizon Lawsuit Successfully Overturns FCC Net Neutrality Rules, Court Demands Title II Reclassification 3 src
Verizon Communications · D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals · Federal Communications Commission
confirmed
2014-01-01Tony Perkins Serves as CNP Vice President - Family Research Council Integration 2 src
Tony Perkins · Family Research Council · Council for National Policy
confirmed
2013-12-16Federal Judge Rules NSA Bulk Phone Data Collection Likely Unconstitutional 3 src
National Security Agency
confirmed
2013-10-21Microsoft and Google Challenge NSA Gag Orders in Federal Court 4 src
Microsoft · Google · Department of Justice · National Security Agency
confirmed
2013-09-17Trump Foundation Donates $25,000 to Bondi PAC After Florida Considers Joining Trump University Lawsuit 3 src
Pam Bondi · Donald Trump
confirmed
2013-06-25ALEC States Immediately Implement Voter Restrictions After Shelby County Decision 3 src
North Carolina Legislature · American Legislative Exchange Council · U.S. Supreme Court
confirmed
2013-06-25Shelby County Decision Guts Voting Rights Act Preclearance 5 src
Clarence Thomas · Samuel Alito · John Roberts
confirmed
2013-06-21Obama Prosecutes 8 Whistleblowers Under Espionage Act, More Than All Presidents 3 src
Barack Obama · Eric Holder · Edward Snowden · Chelsea Manning · +3
confirmed
2013-06-17Supreme Court Allows Antitrust Challenge to Pay-for-Delay Drug Settlements Costing Consumers $3.5 Billion Annually 4 src
Supreme Court of the United States · Federal Trade Commission · Big Pharma
confirmed
2013-06-05Guardian Publishes First Snowden Leak on NSA Verizon Phone Records Collection 3 src
Edward Snowden · Glenn Greenwald · National Security Agency · Verizon
confirmed
2013-06-01Justice O'Connor Expresses Regret Over Bush v. Gore Damage to Court Reputation 4 src
Sandra Day O'Connor · U.S. Supreme Court
confirmed
2012-06-28Supreme Court Makes ACA Medicaid Expansion Optional, Enabling State Obstruction 5 src
U.S. Supreme Court · John Roberts · Republican Governors
confirmed
2012-06-04Bureau Investigation Exposes CIA Double-Tap Drone Strikes Killing Rescuers and Mourners 4 src
Central Intelligence Agency · Barack Obama
confirmed
2012-05-29New York Times Exposes Obama's Kill List and Terror Tuesday Assassination Meetings 4 src
Barack Obama · John Brennan · Central Intelligence Agency
confirmed
2012-03-01Trump Foundation Illegally Used $158,000 in Charity Funds to Settle Mar-a-Lago Legal Dispute 3 src
Donald Trump · Trump Foundation
confirmed
2012-02-0925 Billion Mortgage Settlement Provides Banks Immunity for Minimal Payments 3 src
Eric Holder · Bank of America · JPMorgan Chase · Wells Fargo · +1
confirmed
2012-01-01Leonard Leo Directs Hidden Payments to Ginni Thomas Through Kellyanne Conway, Instructs "No Mention of Ginni" 4 src
Leonard Leo · Ginni Thomas · Clarence Thomas · Kellyanne Conway · +1
confirmed
2011-07-01Wisconsin Republicans Pass Act 43 Gerrymandering Plan in Secret Process 4 src
Republican Party
confirmed
2011-05-01Pam Bondi Fires Foreclosure Fraud Investigators After Campaign Donations from Lender Processing Services 3 src
Pam Bondi
confirmed
2011-03-17CIA Drone Strike Massacres 42 Civilians at Pakistani Tribal Council Meeting 4 src
Central Intelligence Agency · Barack Obama
confirmed
2010-12-21FCC Passes First Net Neutrality Rules with Major Wireless Exemption in 3-2 Party-Line Vote 3 src
Federal Communications Commission · Comcast Corporation · Verizon Communications · AT&T
confirmed
2010-08-13Oracle Sues Google for Copyright Infringement Over Java APIs in Android 3 src
Oracle · Google · Larry Ellison
confirmed
2010-05-01Better Business Bureau Drops Trump University Rating to D- After Flood of Consumer Complaints 3 src
Donald Trump · Michael Sexton
confirmed
2010-01-27Obama Criticizes Citizens United at State of Union, Alito Responds 'Not True' 4 src
Barack Obama · Samuel Alito · John Roberts · Ruth Bader Ginsburg · +3
confirmed
2010-01-21Supreme Court Citizens United Decision Unleashes Unlimited Corporate Spending 7 src
U.S. Supreme Court · Federal Election Commission · Anthony Kennedy
confirmed
2010-01-01DonorsTrust Organizational Profile: Dark Money ATM Enabling Anonymous Billionaire Political Spending 4 src
DonorsTrust · Koch brothers · Federalist Society · State Policy Network · +2
confirmed
2009-05-20Newburgh Four Arrested in FBI Entrapment Sting - "Buffoonery" Made Into Terrorism 3 src
Federal Bureau of Investigation · Department of Justice
confirmed
2009-01-23Obama Dramatically Expands CIA Drone Strike Program - Ten Times More Strikes Than Bush 4 src
Barack Obama · Central Intelligence Agency · John Brennan · Leon Panetta
confirmed
2009-01-01Carl Icahn Partners with Andrew Beal in Trump Entertainment Resorts Bankruptcy Restructuring 3 src
Carl Icahn · Donald Trump
confirmed
2009-01-01Harlan Crow Begins Paying Private School Tuition for Thomas's Grandnephew 4 src
Clarence Thomas · Harlan Crow
confirmed
2008-10-03Bush Signs 00B Bank Bailout with Minimal Oversight 3 src
George W. Bush · Henry Paulson · Goldman Sachs · Citigroup · +2
confirmed
2008-09-11Kids for Cash Scandal Exposed: Pennsylvania Judges Accepted $2.8 Million in Kickbacks to Fill Private Juvenile Detention Centers 4 src confirmed
2008-09-09Iowa Attorney General Files Criminal Complaint Against Agriprocessors for 9,311 Child Labor Violations, Revealing Systematic Use of Minors as Young as 14 in Dangerous Meatpacking Operations with Harsh Chemicals and Power Equipment 4 src confirmed
2008-08-01FCC Orders Comcast to Stop Throttling BitTorrent Traffic in Historic 3-2 Vote on Net Neutrality 3 src
Federal Communications Commission · Comcast Corporation · Electronic Frontier Foundation
confirmed
2008-07-31FISA Court Finds NSA Surveillance Programs Systematically Unconstitutional 3 src
FISA Court · National Security Agency · Department of Justice · Michael Hayden · +1
confirmed
2008-07-09FISA Amendments Act of 2008 Passes, Granting Telecom Immunity 3 src
U.S. Congress · George W. Bush · United States Senate · U.S. House of Representatives · +2
confirmed
2008-07-01Samuel Alito Takes Undisclosed Alaska Fishing Trip with Billionaire Paul Singer 4 src
Samuel Alito · Paul Singer · Leonard Leo
confirmed
2008-05-12ICE Conducts Largest Immigration Raid in U.S. History at Postville, Iowa Agriprocessors Plant, Arresting 389 Workers While Management Faces No Criminal Charges Despite Systematic Labor Law Violations and Exploitation 4 src
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) · U.S. Department of Homeland Security
confirmed
2008-04-28Crawford v. Marion County: Supreme Court Upholds Strict Voter ID Laws Despite No Evidence of In-Person Fraud 3 src
U.S. Supreme Court · American Civil Liberties Union · Republican National Committee
confirmed
2008-01-02KBR's Faulty Electrical Work Kills Staff Sgt. Ryan Maseth, Part of Systematic Negligence Causing 18 Electrocution Deaths in Iraq with No Criminal Charges Despite Army Negligent Homicide Finding 3 src
Kellogg Brown & Root (KBR) · Halliburton · U.S. Department of Defense
confirmed
2007-10-01Trump Foundation Pays $258,000 for Six-Foot Portrait of Trump at Charity Auction 3 src
Donald Trump · Trump Foundation
confirmed
2007-09-16Blackwater Nisour Square Massacre Exposes Systematic Private Military Corporate-State Fusion Accountability Crisis and Constitutional Violation 6 src
Erik Prince · State Department · Central Intelligence Agency · Iraqi Government · +2
confirmed
2007-09-01FBI Inspector General Reports 35% Error Rate on Terror Watchlist 3 src
Federal Bureau of Investigation
confirmed
2007-05-23Monica Goodling Admits Political Screening of DOJ Lawyers 3 src
Monica Goodling · Alberto Gonzales · U.S. Department of Justice · U.S. Congress
confirmed
2007-04-01FISA Court Judge Rejects NSA Warrantless Surveillance Expansion 3 src
FISA Court · National Security Agency · Bush Administration · Department of Justice
confirmed
2006-09-06Bush Publicly Acknowledges CIA Secret Prisons for First Time, Transfers Detainees to Guantanamo 4 src
George W. Bush · Central Intelligence Agency · Abu Zubaydah · Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri
confirmed
2006-05-15eBay v. MercExchange: Supreme Court Limits Automatic Patent Injunctions, Enabling Patent Troll Business Model to Flourish 3 src
U.S. Supreme Court · Clarence Thomas · Anthony Kennedy
confirmed
2006-03-01FBI Infiltrates Orange County Mosques with Informant in Dragnet Surveillance 3 src
Federal Bureau of Investigation · Department of Justice
confirmed
2005-12-16New York Times Exposes NSA Warrantless Surveillance Program 5 src
James Risen · New York Times · George W. Bush · National Security Agency
confirmed
2005-11-09CIA Destroys 92 Torture Interrogation Videotapes to Conceal Evidence 4 src
Central Intelligence Agency · Gina Haspel · Abu Zubaydah · Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri · +1
confirmed
2005-11-02Washington Post Reveals CIA's Secret Prison Network in Eastern Europe 4 src
Central Intelligence Agency · Washington Post
confirmed
2005-10-28Karl Rove Orchestrates Political Prosecution of Don Siegelman 3 src
Karl Rove
confirmed
2005-08-25Hans von Spakovsky Overrules DOJ Career Staff to Approve Georgia Voter ID Law Targeting Black Voters 3 src
Hans von Spakovsky · Georgia Legislature
confirmed
2005-01-01ALEC Mandatory Minimum Sentencing Models Achieve Nationwide Adoption, Guaranteeing Private Prison Profits 4 src
American Legislative Exchange Council · Corrections Corporation of America · GEO Group · State Legislators
confirmed
2004-12-13Oracle Completes PeopleSoft Acquisition for $10.3 Billion After Defeating Antitrust Challenge 3 src
Oracle · Larry Ellison · PeopleSoft
confirmed
2004-11-02Massey Energy CEO Spends $3 Million to Elect Judge in Case Against His Company 11 src
U.S. Supreme Court
confirmed
2004-06-24Supreme Court Protects Cheney Energy Task Force Secrecy 3 src
Dick Cheney · U.S. Supreme Court · Anthony Kennedy · Antonin Scalia · +2
confirmed
2004-06-04Stewart v. Blackwell Applies Bush v. Gore Equal Protection Precedent to Ohio Voting Disparities 4 src confirmed
2004-06-01The Apprentice Serves as 14-Season Promotional Vehicle for Trump Properties and Brand 3 src
Donald Trump · Mark Burnett · NBC
reported
2004-05-10Canada Concludes Maher Arar Wrongly Rendered to Syria for Torture Based on False Intelligence 4 src
Central Intelligence Agency
confirmed
2004-04-28Abu Ghraib Photos Reveal Private Contractors Conducted Interrogations at Military Prison 4 src
U.S. Army · CBS News
confirmed
2004-02-26Department of Justice Files Antitrust Lawsuit to Block Oracle-PeopleSoft Merger 3 src
Department of Justice · Oracle · PeopleSoft · Larry Ellison
confirmed
2004-01-08The Apprentice Premieres on NBC, Rehabilitating Trump's Image After Bankruptcies 3 src
Donald Trump · Mark Burnett · NBC
confirmed
2003-06-23Grutter v. Bollinger - Supreme Court Upholds Affirmative Action but Sets 25-Year Limit 3 src
Sandra Day O'Connor · Clarence Thomas
confirmed
2003-06-02FCC Attempts Massive Media Deregulation Under Michael Powell Despite 97% Public Opposition 3 src
Colin Powell · George W. Bush · Trent Lott
confirmed
2003-03-01Abu Zubaydah - Waterboarded 83 Times, Tortured for Years, Never Charged with Any Crime 4 src
Abu Zubaydah · Central Intelligence Agency · James Mitchell · Bruce Jessen · +1
confirmed
2003-01-01Clarence Thomas Begins Undisclosed Luxury Trips on Harlan Crow's Yacht and Private Jets 4 src
Clarence Thomas · Harlan Crow
confirmed
2002-12-19Central Park Five Exonerated: DNA Proves Innocence After 13 Years 3 src
Yusef Salaam · Korey Wise · Antron McCray · Kevin Richardson · +2
confirmed
2002-11-15Federalist Society Provides WHIG with Crisis-Accelerated Legal Justification Infrastructure for Powell Memorandum Implementation 3 src
Federalist Society · John Yoo · Jay Bybee · Steven Calabresi · +1
confirmed
2002-06-27Zelman v. Simmons-Harris - Supreme Court Upholds School Vouchers for Religious Schools 3 src
William Rehnquist · Sandra Day O'Connor · Clarence Thomas · Institute for Justice · +1
confirmed
2002-06-15Arthur Andersen Convicted, Destroying 85,000 Jobs Worldwide 3 src
Arthur Andersen · Department of Justice
confirmed
2001-11-01Microsoft Antitrust Settlement Establishes Weak Precedent for Tech Monopolies 4 src
U.S. Department of Justice · Microsoft Corporation · George W. Bush · John Ashcroft · +2
confirmed
2001-11-01NSA Launches MAINWAY Database for Mass Metadata Collection 3 src
National Security Agency · AT&T · Verizon · T-Mobile · +3
confirmed
2001-10-04Bush Authorizes NSA Stellar Wind Program Bypassing FISA Court 4 src
George W. Bush · Michael Hayden · National Security Agency · Dick Cheney · +4
confirmed
2001-09-17CIA Authorized to Conduct Extraordinary Rendition - Kidnapping Suspects for Torture Abroad 4 src
Central Intelligence Agency · George W. Bush · George Tenet
confirmed
2001-01-29Bush Administration Establishes Faith-Based Initiative Infrastructure for Systematic Constitutional Transformation 3 src
George W. Bush · Pat Robertson · U.S. Supreme Court
confirmed
2001-01-29Cheney Creates Secret Energy Task Force with Oil Executives 3 src
Dick Cheney · ExxonMobil · Shell Oil · BP America · +2
confirmed
2001-01-20Bush Administration Hires 150 Regent University Graduates 3 src
Pat Robertson · Monica Goodling · Kay Coles James · George W. Bush
confirmed
2000-12-12Supreme Court Delivers Partisan Bush v. Gore Decision with Corporate Legal Team Involvement 4 src
George W. Bush · Al Gore · William Rehnquist · Sandra Day O'Connor · +5
confirmed
2000-12-09Supreme Court Grants Bush Emergency Stay with Scalia's "Irreparable Harm" Logic 6 src
Antonin Scalia · William Rehnquist · Clarence Thomas · Sandra Day O'Connor · +1
confirmed
2000-11-22Brooks Brothers Riot: Republican Operatives Physically Stop Miami-Dade Recount 4 src
Roger Stone · John Roberts · Brett Kavanaugh · Amy Coney Barrett · +2
confirmed
2000-11-08James Baker Coordinates Bush Supreme Court Election Strategy from Day One 4 src
George W. Bush · Republican Party
confirmed
2000-01-01CNP and Federalist Society Coordination - Leonard Leo Links Judicial and Political Networks 2 src
Council for National Policy · Federalist Society · Leonard Leo · Clarence Thomas
confirmed
2000-01-01Systematic Coordination Emerges in Corporate PAC Explosion Post-Buckley 5 src
Supreme Court Justices
confirmed
1998-05-18DOJ Files Microsoft Antitrust Suit, Establishes Tech Monopoly Precedent 4 src
U.S. Department of Justice · Microsoft Corporation · Bill Gates · Janet Reno
confirmed
1997-01-01Felon Disenfranchisement Expansion: States Tighten Voting Bans as Prison Population Explodes 16 src
State Legislatures · American Legislative Exchange Council · Republican Governors
confirmed
1997-01-01First Complaints Against Larry Nassar Dismissed by Michigan State Coach Kathie Klages 3 src
Larry Nassar · Michigan State University
confirmed
1996-06-20Trump Acquires Miss Universe Organization from ITT Corp 4 src
Donald Trump
confirmed
1996-04-24Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act Expands Deportation, Strips Judicial Review 3 src
Bill Clinton · U.S. Congress · Department of Justice · Immigration and Naturalization Service
confirmed
1995-01-01ALEC Criminal Justice Task Force Promotes Truth-in-Sentencing Model Legislation Written by Private Prison Industry 4 src
American Legislative Exchange Council · Corrections Corporation of America · GEO Group · State Legislators
confirmed
1994-09-13Federal Three Strikes Law Mandates Life Imprisonment for Third Violent Felony 3 src
Bill Clinton · Joe Biden · U.S. Congress
confirmed
1994-08-05Kenneth Starr Replaces Robert Fiske as Whitewater Independent Counsel 4 src
Kenneth Starr · Bill Clinton
confirmed