How one decision restructured American politics in fifteen years
Citizens United and what came after
The Roberts Court ruling on January 21, 2010 — and the cascade of dark money, super PACs, and constitutional erosion that followed.
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Status
confirmed
alleged
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Before Citizens United v. FEC, corporations and unions could not spend unlimited general-treasury funds on independent political communications. After it — January 21, 2010 — they could. The 5–4 majority opinion was authored by Justice Anthony Kennedy and joined by John Roberts, Antonin Scalia, Samuel Alito, and Clarence Thomas.
This timeline tracks what fifteen years of that ruling produced: the rise of super PACs, the explosion of dark-money networks, the operational coordination between donor-advised funds and the Federalist Society’s judicial pipeline, and the legal challenges that further expanded — never narrowed — the doctrine.
All events on this timeline
| Date | Event | Actors | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008-01-01 | Hans von Spakovsky Joins Heritage Foundation to Lead Voter Suppression Infrastructure Development Hans von Spakovsky · Heritage Foundation · American Legislative Exchange Council · Council for National Policy · +1 | 5 | confirmed |
| 2008-04-28 | Crawford v. Marion County: Supreme Court Upholds Strict Voter ID Laws Despite No Evidence of In-Person Fraud U.S. Supreme Court · John Paul Stevens · Indiana Legislature · American Civil Liberties Union · +1 | 5 | confirmed |
| 2008-07-01 | Samuel Alito Takes Undisclosed Alaska Fishing Trip with Billionaire Paul Singer Samuel Alito · Paul Singer · Leonard Leo · Robin Arkley II | 4 | confirmed |
| 2009-01-01 | Americans for Prosperity Organizational Profile: Koch Brothers' Astroturf Empire Manufacturing Fake Grassroots Movements Americans for Prosperity · Charles Koch · David Koch · Koch Industries · +2 | 6 | confirmed |
| 2009-02-19 | Koch Network Prepares Tea Party Mobilization After Santelli Rant Rick Santelli · David Koch · Charles Koch · Eric Odom · +2 | 6 | confirmed |
| 2009-02-19 | Rick Santelli CNBC Rant Triggers Immediate Koch Network Tea Party Response Rick Santelli · David Koch · Charles Koch · Americans for Prosperity · +5 | 9 | confirmed |
| 2009-04-15 | Tax Day Tea Party Protests Organized by Koch Network Groups Americans for Prosperity · FreedomWorks · David Koch · Charles Koch · +3 | 7 | confirmed |
| 2009-06-26 | Koch Network Mobilizes to Kill Waxman-Markey Cap-and-Trade Climate Bill Koch brothers · Charles Koch · David Koch · Americans for Prosperity · +5 | 9 | confirmed |
| 2009-07-17 | ALEC Creates Model Voter ID Legislation Following Obama Election American Legislative Exchange Council · Hans von Spakovsky · Heritage Foundation · ALEC Public Safety and Elections Task Force | 4 | confirmed |
| 2009-09-12 | 9/12 Taxpayer March on Washington Demonstrates Koch Network Mobilization Power FreedomWorks · Americans for Prosperity · Dick Armey · Brendan Steinhauser · +6 | 10 | confirmed |
| 2009-12-01 | Arizona SB 1070 Immigration Law Drafted at ALEC Meeting with CCA Executives - Direct Quid Pro Quo for Immigrant Detention Profits American Legislative Exchange Council · Corrections Corporation of America · Russell Pearce · Jan Brewer · +3 | 7 | confirmed |
| 2010-01-01 | ALEC Distributes Climate Denial Model Legislation to Kill Regional Climate Pacts American Legislative Exchange Council · Koch Industries · ExxonMobil · Clint Woods · +2 | 6 | confirmed |
| 2010-01-01 | ALEC's 'Resolution in Opposition to a Carbon Tax' Obstructs Market-Based Climate Solutions American Legislative Exchange Council · Koch Industries · ExxonMobil · Peabody Energy · +5 | 9 | confirmed |
| 2010-01-01 | Corporate-Funded Think Tanks Testify to Congress While Hiding Donor Conflicts of Interest Heritage Foundation · American Enterprise Institute · Koch brothers · General Electric · +2 | 6 | confirmed |
| 2010-01-01 | DonorsTrust Organizational Profile: Dark Money ATM Enabling Anonymous Billionaire Political Spending DonorsTrust · Donors Capital Fund · Whitney Lynn Ball · Kimberly Dennis · +6 | 10 | confirmed |
| 2010-01-21 | Supreme Court Citizens United Decision Unleashes Unlimited Corporate Spending U.S. Supreme Court · Citizens United · Federal Election Commission · Justice Anthony Kennedy · +1 | 5 | confirmed |
| 2010-01-27 | Obama Criticizes Citizens United at State of Union, Alito Responds 'Not True' Barack Obama · Samuel Alito · John Roberts · Ruth Bader Ginsburg · +3 | 7 | confirmed |
| 2010-04-23 | Arizona Passes SB 1070 Drafted by ALEC and Private Prison Companies Russell Pearce · Jan Brewer · Corrections Corporation of America · American Legislative Exchange Council · +2 | 6 | confirmed |
| 2010-12-03 | ALEC Coordinates Right-to-Work Push After 2010 GOP Midterm Wave American Legislative Exchange Council · Scott Fitzgerald · Koch brothers · Americans for Prosperity · +1 | 5 | confirmed |
| 2011-01-01 | 34 States Introduce ALEC Voter ID Bills in Coordinated Suppression Campaign American Legislative Exchange Council · Republican state legislators · Heritage Foundation · State Policy Network | 4 | confirmed |
| 2011-01-01 | ALEC Grants Corporate Lobbyists 'Equal Vote' on Model Legislation for State Legislatures American Legislative Exchange Council · State Legislatures · Koch Industries · ExxonMobil | 4 | confirmed |
| 2011-01-01 | Arizona Becomes First State to Enact ALEC-Inspired Education Savings Accounts - Pioneering Universal Voucher Path Jan Brewer · American Legislative Exchange Council · ALEC Education Task Force · Goldwater Institute · +2 | 6 | confirmed |
| 2011-03-11 | Wisconsin Act 10 Crushes Public Sector Unions Using ALEC Model Legislation Scott Walker · American Legislative Exchange Council · Wisconsin GOP · Koch brothers · +2 | 6 | confirmed |
| 2011-07-01 | ALEC Achieves Systematic Legislative Capture: 200+ Corporate-Drafted Bills Enacted Annually Across States American Legislative Exchange Council · State Legislatures · Koch Industries · ExxonMobil · +1 | 5 | confirmed |
| 2011-07-13 | ALEC Exposed: Leaked Documents Reveal 800 Corporate-Written Model Bills American Legislative Exchange Council · Center for Media and Democracy · The Nation · Corporate members · +1 | 5 | confirmed |
| 2012-01-01 | Koch Network Spends $407 Million in Coordinated 2012 Election Campaign Charles Koch · David Koch · Americans for Prosperity · Freedom Partners Chamber of Commerce · +1 | 5 | confirmed |
| 2012-01-01 | Leonard Leo Directs Hidden Payments to Ginni Thomas Through Kellyanne Conway, Instructs "No Mention of Ginni" Leonard Leo · Ginni Thomas · Clarence Thomas · Kellyanne Conway · +4 | 8 | confirmed |
| 2012-02-01 | Indiana Becomes 23rd Right-to-Work State Using ALEC Model Legislation Mitch Daniels · American Legislative Exchange Council · Indiana Republican Party · National Right to Work Committee · +2 | 6 | confirmed |
| 2012-03-02 | Iowa Governor Branstad Signs Nation's First Modern Ag-Gag Law Criminalizing Undercover Documentation of Agricultural Facility Abuses, Using ALEC Model Legislation to Shield Corporate Factory Farms from Whistleblower Investigations Iowa Legislature · Governor Terry Branstad · American Legislative Exchange Council · Agriculture Industry | 4 | confirmed |
| 2012-04-13 | Major Corporate Exodus from ALEC: Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Kraft, McDonald's, Wendy's, Mars, and Intuit Drop Membership After Public Pressure Campaign Color of Change · Coca-Cola · PepsiCo · Kraft Foods · +4 | 8 | confirmed |
| 2012-05-22 | Kansas Governor Brownback Signs ALEC-Laffer Tax Plan Eliminating Pass-Through Business Income Taxes - 'Kansas Experiment' Becomes Test Case for Supply-Side Economics Sam Brownback · Arthur Laffer · American Legislative Exchange Council · Kansas Legislature · +1 | 5 | confirmed |
| 2012-06-28 | Supreme Court Makes ACA Medicaid Expansion Optional, Enabling State Obstruction U.S. Supreme Court · Chief Justice John Roberts · National Federation of Independent Business · Republican Governors · +1 | 5 | confirmed |
| 2012-10-01 | ALEC's 'Electricity Freedom Act' Systematically Attacks State Renewable Energy Standards American Legislative Exchange Council · Heartland Institute · James Taylor · Edison Electric Institute · +3 | 7 | confirmed |
| 2012-12-11 | Michigan Passes Right-to-Work in Lame Duck Surprise Using Verbatim ALEC Language Rick Snyder · American Legislative Exchange Council · Mackinac Center · Michigan GOP · +4 | 8 | confirmed |
| 2013-04-03 | Edwin Feulner Retires as Heritage Foundation President After 36 Years Building Conservative Movement Infrastructure Edwin Feulner · Heritage Foundation · Jim DeMint · Richard Scaife · +4 | 8 | confirmed |
| 2013-06-01 | Justice O'Connor Expresses Regret Over Bush v. Gore Damage to Court Reputation Sandra Day O'Connor · U.S. Supreme Court · Bush v. Gore majority | 3 | confirmed |
| 2013-06-25 | ALEC States Immediately Implement Voter Restrictions After Shelby County Decision Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott · North Carolina Legislature · American Legislative Exchange Council · U.S. Supreme Court | 4 | confirmed |
| 2013-06-25 | Shelby County Decision Guts Voting Rights Act Preclearance Clarence Thomas · Samuel Alito · John Roberts · Shelby County Alabama | 4 | confirmed |
| 2013-07-01 | ALEC Coordinates 139 Education Privatization Bills Across States - Systematic Public School Defunding Campaign American Legislative Exchange Council · ALEC Education and Workforce Development Task Force · Center for Media and Democracy · K12 Inc. · +5 | 9 | confirmed |
| 2014-04-02 | Supreme Court Strikes Down Aggregate Campaign Contribution Limits in McCutcheon v. FEC U.S. Supreme Court · Chief Justice John Roberts · Shaun McCutcheon · Republican National Committee · +6 | 10 | confirmed |
| 2014-06-16 | Supreme Court backs broad discovery in Argentina debt case (Alito joined majority); Singer's fund later benefited Samuel Alito · Paul Singer · Elliott Management · Republic of Argentina · +1 | 5 | confirmed |
| 2014-06-19 | Alice Corp. v. CLS Bank: Supreme Court Restricts Software Patents, Reducing Patent Troll Leverage Over Abstract Business Methods U.S. Supreme Court · Clarence Thomas · Alice Corp · CLS Bank International · +1 | 5 | confirmed |
| 2014-06-25 | Supreme Court Rules Warrantless Cell Phone Searches Unconstitutional in Riley v. California U.S. Supreme Court · John Roberts | 2 | confirmed |
| 2014-07-04 | Richard Mellon Scaife Dies After Investing $620 Million in Conservative Movement Infrastructure Richard Scaife · Sarah Scaife Foundation · Carthage Foundation · Allegheny Foundation · +6 | 10 | confirmed |
| 2015-01-01 | Eastern District of Texas Patent Troll Haven: Judge Rodney Gilstrap Handles 25% of All U.S. Patent Cases, Forum Shopping Peak Rodney Gilstrap · Eastern District of Texas · John Roberts · Lex Machina | 4 | confirmed |
| 2015-03-09 | Wisconsin Becomes 25th Right-to-Work State, Completing ALEC's Union Destruction Scott Walker · American Legislative Exchange Council · Scott Fitzgerald · Robin Vos · +1 | 5 | confirmed |
| 2015-06-25 | Supreme Court Rejects King v. Burwell Challenge to ACA Subsidies in Federal Exchanges U.S. Supreme Court · Chief Justice John Roberts · Justice Antonin Scalia · King (Plaintiff) · +1 | 5 | confirmed |
| 2016-01-01 | ALEC Develops Comprehensive Government Union Reform Act as All-in-One Union Elimination Playbook American Legislative Exchange Council · Bob Onder · Missouri GOP · corporate ALEC members | 4 | confirmed |
| 2016-02-12 | West Virginia Becomes 26th Right-to-Work State, Overriding Governor Veto with ALEC Model West Virginia Legislature · Earl Ray Tomblin · American Legislative Exchange Council · Koch Network · +2 | 6 | confirmed |
| 2016-02-13 | Justice Antonin Scalia Dies, McConnell Immediately Vows to Block Any Obama Nominee Antonin Scalia · Mitch McConnell · Barack Obama | 3 | confirmed |
| 2016-05-18 | Trump Promises All Supreme Court Picks Will Come From Federalist Society Donald Trump · Leonard Leo · Don McGahn · Neil Gorsuch · +4 | 8 | confirmed |
| 2017-01-09 | Kentucky Becomes 27th Right-to-Work State in First Week of Session Using ALEC Model Matt Bevin · Kentucky Legislature · American Legislative Exchange Council · Kentucky House Committee | 4 | confirmed |
| 2017-01-14 | 28 States Adopt Right-to-Work Laws, Documenting ALEC's Systematic Labor Suppression Success American Legislative Exchange Council · Koch brothers · Americans for Prosperity · U.S. Chamber of Commerce · +2 | 6 | confirmed |
| 2017-01-20 | Heritage Foundation Staffs Trump Admin, Implements 64% of Agenda Heritage Foundation · Donald Trump · Mick Mulvaney · Scott Pruitt · +3 | 7 | confirmed |
| 2017-01-31 | Federalist Society Captures Federal Judiciary with $250M Dark Money Federalist Society · Leonard Leo · Donald Trump · Judicial Crisis Network · +1 | 5 | confirmed |
| 2017-05-02 | Ed Feulner Returns as Heritage Foundation Interim President After DeMint Ousted for Management Failures Edwin Feulner · Jim DeMint · Heritage Foundation · Heritage Foundation Board of Trustees · +2 | 6 | confirmed |
| 2017-05-22 | TC Heartland v. Kraft: Supreme Court Limits Patent Forum Shopping, Curbing Eastern District of Texas Troll Haven U.S. Supreme Court · Clarence Thomas · TC Heartland · Kraft Foods · +2 | 6 | confirmed |
| 2017-06-06 | Kansas Legislature Overrides Brownback Veto to Repeal Failed Tax Cuts - Republican-Controlled Legislature Rejects Supply-Side Economics After Devastating 5-Year Experiment Sam Brownback · Kansas Legislature · Arthur Laffer · American Legislative Exchange Council · +2 | 6 | confirmed |
| 2017-12-22 | Trump Signs Tax Cuts and Jobs Act - Corporate Rate Permanently Slashed from 35% to 21%, Pass-Through Deduction, Estate Tax Exemption Doubled, $1.9 Trillion Added to Deficit Donald Trump · Paul Ryan · Mitch McConnell · Kevin Brady · +6 | 10 | confirmed |
| 2018-02-26 | Texas Leads 20 Republican States in Lawsuit Seeking to Eliminate Entire ACA Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton · Judge Reed O'Connor · 20 Republican State Attorneys General · California Attorney General Xavier Becerra · +2 | 6 | confirmed |
| 2018-05-21 | Epic Systems v. Lewis: Supreme Court Allows Mandatory Arbitration Blocking Class Action Labor Claims U.S. Supreme Court · Neil Gorsuch · Federalist Society · Corporate employers · +1 | 5 | confirmed |
| 2018-06-11 | Supreme Court Upholds Ohio's Aggressive "Use It Or Lose It" Voter Purge System U.S. Supreme Court · Samuel Alito · Sonia Sotomayor · Jon Husted | 4 | confirmed |
| 2018-06-27 | Janus v. AFSCME - Supreme Court Strikes Down Public Sector Union Fees, Targeting Teachers' Unions Justice Samuel Alito · Justice Neil Gorsuch · National Right to Work Foundation · State Policy Network · +4 | 8 | confirmed |
| 2019-01-01 | State Corporate Tax Rates Decline 33% Over Three Decades - ALEC's Interstate Race-to-Bottom Costs States $43-57 Billion Annually in Lost Revenue American Legislative Exchange Council · State Legislatures · Corporate Lobby · Good Jobs First · +2 | 6 | confirmed |
| 2019-02-14 | William Barr Confirmation as Attorney General Enables Systematic DOJ Politicization Using WHIG Template for Crisis-Accelerated Institutional Capture William Barr · Donald Trump · Senate Judiciary Committee · Department of Justice · +6 | 10 | confirmed |
| 2019-05-15 | Utah adopts ALEC model legislation requiring legislative approval for "major" agency rules Ryan Wilcox · Daniel McCay · American Legislative Exchange Council · Utah State Legislature | 4 | confirmed |
| 2019-06-27 | Supreme Court Rules Partisan Gerrymandering Beyond Federal Court Jurisdiction U.S. Supreme Court · John Roberts · Robert Rucho · Common Cause | 4 | confirmed |
| 2020-01-01 | ALEC's Education Privatization Campaign Achieves Dominance - Model Legislation Controls Voucher Landscape Nationwide American Legislative Exchange Council · ALEC Education and Workforce Development Task Force · K12 Inc. · Koch Industries · +6 | 10 | confirmed |
| 2020-04-01 | CNP Coordinates National COVID-19 Anti-Lockdown Protest Movement Council for National Policy · CNP Action · Stephen Moore · Heritage Foundation · +4 | 8 | confirmed |
| 2020-06-30 | Espinoza v. Montana - Supreme Court Strikes Down State Bans on Religious School Funding Chief Justice John Roberts · Justice Clarence Thomas · Justice Samuel Alito · Institute for Justice · +1 | 5 | confirmed |
| 2020-09-18 | Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Dies 46 Days Before Election, McConnell Immediately Vows to Confirm Replacement Despite 2016 Standard Ruth Bader Ginsburg · Mitch McConnell · Donald Trump · Clara Spera · +1 | 5 | confirmed |
| 2020-10-21 | Trump Issues Original Schedule F Executive Order: Civil Service Protection Elimination Donald Trump · Office of Personnel Management · Heritage Foundation · Project 2025 · +1 | 5 | confirmed |
| 2021-01-01 | 440 Voter Restriction Bills Introduced in 49 States - ALEC's Largest Suppression Wave American Legislative Exchange Council · Heritage Foundation · Heritage Action · Republican state legislators · +1 | 5 | confirmed |
| 2021-01-01 | ALEC Develops New Model Election Bills to Implement Trump's "Big Lie" American Legislative Exchange Council · Heritage Foundation · Heritage Action · State Policy Network · +1 | 5 | confirmed |
| 2021-01-01 | Barre Seid Donates $1.6 Billion to Leonard Leo Dark Money Network Barre Seid · Leonard Leo · Marble Freedom Trust | 3 | confirmed |
| 2021-03-25 | Georgia SB 202 Enacts Comprehensive Voter Suppression with Multiple ALEC Provisions Governor Brian Kemp · Georgia Republican Legislature · Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger · American Legislative Exchange Council | 4 | confirmed |
| 2021-05-13 | Leaked Video Exposes Heritage Action's $24 Million Voter Suppression Campaign Coordinating State Legislation Heritage Action · Jessica Anderson · Heritage Foundation · Hans von Spakovsky · +5 | 9 | confirmed |
| 2021-08-26 | Supreme Court Strikes Down CDC Eviction Moratorium as Unauthorized Executive Action U.S. Supreme Court · Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · Joe Biden · Alabama Association of Realtors | 4 | confirmed |
| 2022-01-13 | Supreme Court Blocks Biden OSHA Vaccine Mandate as Executive Overreach U.S. Supreme Court · Joe Biden · Occupational Safety and Health Administration · U.S. Department of Labor | 4 | confirmed |
| 2022-04-01 | Heritage Foundation Launches 2 Million Project 2025 Initiative Heritage Foundation · Kevin Roberts · Paul Dans · Steven Groves | 4 | confirmed |
| 2022-06-24 | Dobbs v. Jackson: Supreme Court Overturns Roe v. Wade — The 49-Year Institutional Capture Project Succeeds Samuel Alito · Leonard Leo · Federalist Society · Neil Gorsuch · +2 | 6 | confirmed |
| 2022-06-30 | Supreme Court Establishes Major Questions Doctrine in West Virginia v. EPA, Limiting Regulatory Power U.S. Supreme Court · Chief Justice John Roberts · Justice Clarence Thomas · Justice Samuel Alito · +10 | 14 | confirmed |
| 2022-12-05 | Kendal Price Files Whistleblower Complaint on Jane Roberts Commission Income and Chief Justice Non-Recusal Kendal Price · Jane Sullivan Roberts · John Roberts · Dick Durbin · +3 | 7 | |
| 2023-01-01 | CNP Members Lead Project 2025 Coalition Organizations - Coordination Infrastructure for Trump Return Council for National Policy · Heritage Foundation · Edwin Meese III · William L. Walton · +2 | 6 | confirmed |
| 2023-04-01 | Heritage Foundation launches Project 2025 initiative Heritage Foundation · Kevin Roberts · Paul Dans · Mark Meadows · +5 | 9 | confirmed |
| 2023-04-06 | ProPublica Exposes Two Decades of Undisclosed Thomas-Crow Gifts ProPublica · Clarence Thomas · Harlan Crow · U.S. Supreme Court | 4 | confirmed |
| 2023-06-20 | ProPublica Reveals Samuel Alito's Undisclosed Luxury Trip with Billionaire Paul Singer Samuel Alito · Paul Singer · Elliott Investment Management · Leonard Leo · +2 | 6 | confirmed |
| 2023-06-29 | Supreme Court Ends Affirmative Action in College Admissions in Students for Fair Admissions Decisions U.S. Supreme Court · Chief Justice John Roberts · Justice Clarence Thomas · Justice Samuel Alito · +12 | 16 | confirmed |
| 2023-06-30 | Supreme Court Allows Religious Exemptions from Anti-Discrimination Laws in 303 Creative v. Elenis U.S. Supreme Court · Justice Neil Gorsuch · Chief Justice John Roberts · Justice Clarence Thomas · +12 | 16 | confirmed |
| 2023-06-30 | Supreme Court Strikes Down Biden Student Loan Forgiveness 6-3 - Protects Debt System Against Democratic Relief John Roberts · Joe Biden · Elena Kagan | 3 | confirmed |
| 2023-11-09 | Senate Judiciary Subpoenas Harlan Crow Over Thomas Gifts After Resistance Senate Judiciary Committee · Dick Durbin · Harlan Crow · Clarence Thomas · +1 | 5 | confirmed |
| 2023-12-31 | Investigation Reveals $6.6 Million in Gifts to Supreme Court Justices Supreme Court Justices · Fix the Court · Harlan Crow · Paul Singer · +2 | 6 | confirmed |
| 2024-01-01 | Clarence Thomas Secretly Participated in Koch Network Donor Events Clarence Thomas · Koch Network · Charles Koch · David Koch · +1 | 5 | confirmed |
| 2024-03-19 | SCOTUS allows Texas SB 4 to take effect temporarily Supreme Court of the United States · State of Texas · Biden Administration · Justice Samuel Alito · +3 | 7 | confirmed |
| 2024-06-26 | SCOTUS: Plaintiffs lack standing in social-media coercion case (Murthy v. Missouri) Supreme Court of the United States · Justice Amy Coney Barrett · Justice Samuel Alito · Justice Clarence Thomas · +3 | 7 | confirmed |
| 2024-06-27 | SCOTUS limits SEC use of in-house tribunals for civil penalties (SEC v. Jarkesy) Supreme Court of the United States · Securities and Exchange Commission · Chief Justice John Roberts · Justice Neil Gorsuch (concurring) · +5 | 9 | confirmed |
| 2024-06-27 | Supreme Court Rejects $6B Purdue Pharma Settlement Granting Sackler Family Immunity from Opioid Lawsuits U.S. Supreme Court · Sackler Family · Purdue Pharma · Department of Justice | 4 | confirmed |
| 2024-06-27 | Supreme Court Rejects Sackler Immunity in 5-4 Decision, Blocks Bankruptcy Shield U.S. Supreme Court · Neil Gorsuch · Ketanji Brown Jackson · Brett Kavanaugh · +2 | 6 | confirmed |
| 2024-06-28 | SCOTUS overrules Chevron deference (Loper Bright v. Raimondo) Supreme Court of the United States · Chief Justice John Roberts · National Marine Fisheries Service | 3 | confirmed |
| 2024-07-01 | Supreme Court Grants Broad Presidential Immunity in Trump v. United States, Creating King-Like Powers U.S. Supreme Court · Chief Justice John Roberts · Justice Clarence Thomas · Justice Samuel Alito · +10 | 14 | confirmed |
| 2024-07-01 | Supreme Court Trump Immunity Ruling Institutionalizes WHIG Constitutional Crisis Precedent into Permanent Oligarchic Governance Framework Supreme Court of the United States · Chief Justice John Roberts · Donald Trump · Justice Clarence Thomas · +4 | 8 | confirmed |
| 2024-07-30 | Paul Dans departs as Project 2025 director amid campaign controversy Paul Dans · Kevin Roberts · Heritage Foundation · Donald Trump · +1 | 5 | confirmed |
| 2024-08-13 | JD Vance Writes Foreword for Project 2025 Architect's Book JD Vance · Kevin Roberts · Heritage Foundation · Paul Dans · +1 | 5 | confirmed |
| 2025-01-20 | Executive Order 14171: Restoring Accountability to Policy-Influencing Positions (Schedule F) Donald Trump · Office of Personnel Management · Heritage Foundation | 3 | confirmed |
| 2025-01-20 | JD Vance Sworn In as 50th Vice President, Positioned for Potential Constitutional Crisis Management JD Vance · Brett Kavanaugh · Donald Trump · Usha Vance · +2 | 6 | confirmed |
| 2025-01-20 | Project 2025: Trump Administration Launches Massive Federal Civil Service Restructuring Donald Trump · Heritage Foundation · Kevin Roberts · Paul Dans · +1 | 5 | confirmed |
| 2025-01-20 | Systematic Coordination Emerges in Federal Worker Purge and Civil Service Dismantling Trump Administration · Heritage Foundation · Office of Personnel Management · Federal Employee Unions · +4 | 8 | confirmed |
| 2025-01-20 | Trump Signs Unconstitutional Executive Order Challenging Birthright Citizenship Donald Trump · Department of Justice · U.S. Supreme Court · Asian Law Caucus · +2 | 6 | confirmed |
| 2025-01-24 | Time finds nearly 65% of early executive actions mirror Project 2025 proposals Donald Trump · Russ Vought · Heritage Foundation · Paul Dans | 4 | confirmed |
| 2025-01-25 | Brendan Carr chairs FCC after writing Project 2025 FCC chapter Brendan Carr · Federal Communications Commission · Trump Administration · Heritage Foundation | 4 | confirmed |
| 2025-02-01 | ALEC Publishes 'Essential Policy Solutions 2025' Playbook - State-Level Corporate and Income Tax Elimination Agenda, Coordination with Federal Project 2025 American Legislative Exchange Council · Lisa Nelson · Arthur Laffer · State Policy Network · +5 | 9 | confirmed |
| 2025-02-01 | Schedule F Implementation Targets 50,000 Federal Workers Donald Trump · Russell Vought · Russell Pekala · Heritage Foundation | 4 | confirmed |
| 2025-02-15 | Federal Courts Grapple with Unprecedented Emoluments Enforcement Challenge U.S. Supreme Court · Federal District Courts · Trump Administration | 3 | confirmed |
| 2025-02-15 | Federal Judges Address Escalating Threats to Judicial Independence Chief Justice John Roberts · Chief Judge James Boasberg · Federal Judiciary · U.S. Supreme Court · +1 | 5 | confirmed |
| 2025-02-15 | Supreme Court Confronts Unprecedented National Guard Federalization Crisis U.S. Supreme Court · Trump Administration · State Governors · Brian Schwalb · +2 | 6 | confirmed |
| 2025-02-18 | Trump Asserts Unitary Executive Control Over DOJ, Echoing Nixon's Saturday Night Massacre Donald Trump · Michael C. Dorf · Department of Justice · Heritage Foundation | 4 | confirmed |
| 2025-02-21 | Attorney General Bondi Says Epstein Files "Sitting on My Desk" Pam Bondi · John Roberts · Fox News | 3 | confirmed |
| 2025-03-15 | Supreme Court Conducts Unprecedented Hearing on Presidential Emoluments U.S. Supreme Court · Trump Administration · Constitutional Scholars | 3 | confirmed |
| 2025-03-20 | Trump Signs Executive Order Directing Dismantlement of Department of Education Donald Trump · Linda McMahon · Heritage Foundation | 3 | confirmed |
| 2025-03-22 | Supreme Court Continues to Sidestep Definitive Ruling on Presidential Emoluments U.S. Supreme Court · Trump Administration · Ethics Watchdogs | 3 | confirmed |
| 2025-04-02 | Trump Invokes Emergency Powers Act (IEEPA) to Impose Unprecedented Reciprocal Tariffs Donald Trump · U.S. Supreme Court | 2 | confirmed |
| 2025-04-10 | Federal Judges Establish Precedent for Presidential Accountability Federal Judiciary · U.S. Supreme Court · Department of Justice · Rebecca Slaughter · +3 | 7 | confirmed |
| 2025-04-10 | Supreme Court Unanimously Rules Government Must 'Facilitate' Abrego Garcia's Return Supreme Court · Chief Justice John Roberts · Kilmar Abrego Garcia · Trump Administration · +2 | 6 | confirmed |
| 2025-05-05 | Congressional Hearing Exposes Systematic Judicial Intimidation Tactics Senate Judiciary Committee · Chief Justice John Roberts · U.S. Marshals Service · Supreme Court Justices · +6 | 10 | confirmed |
| 2025-05-05 | Supreme Court Attempts to Mitigate Constitutional Emergency Powers Dispute U.S. Supreme Court · Executive Branch · Legislative Branch | 3 | confirmed |
| 2025-05-05 | Trump Administration Escalates Judicial Oversight Tensions Trump Administration · Federal Courts · U.S. Supreme Court | 3 | confirmed |
| 2025-05-07 | Supreme Court Confronts Systemic Emoluments Violations U.S. Supreme Court · Department of Justice · Executive Branch | 3 | confirmed |
| 2025-05-18 | Supreme Court Hearing Challenges Presidential National Guard Federalization Powers U.S. Supreme Court · State Governors · U.S. Department of Defense · California Governor · +2 | 6 | confirmed |
| 2025-05-29 | Federal Courts Rule Trump's IEEPA Tariffs Illegal in Multiple Cases Donald Trump · Rudolph Contreras · U.S. Court of International Trade · U.S. Supreme Court | 4 | confirmed |
| 2025-06-21 | Trump systematically dismantles post-Watergate institutional safeguards Donald Trump · Trump Administration · U.S. Supreme Court · U.S. Congress · +1 | 5 | confirmed |
| 2025-06-23 | Supreme Court 6-3 Allows Third-Country Deportations Without Due Process U.S. Supreme Court · U.S. Department of Homeland Security · Sonia Sotomayor | 3 | confirmed |
| 2025-06-27 | Supreme Court Restricts Nationwide Injunctions in Trump v. CASA, Expanding Executive Power U.S. Supreme Court · Trump Administration · CASA de Maryland | 3 | confirmed |
| 2025-07-04 | First Federal School Voucher Program Signed into Law — Tax Credit Scholarships for Private and Religious Schools in One Big Beautiful Bill Donald Trump · Linda McMahon · Heritage Foundation · ALEC | 4 | confirmed |
| 2025-07-08 | Supreme Court lifts injunctions, enables mass firings at 19 federal agencies U.S. Supreme Court · Federal Agencies · General Services Administration · Department of Government Efficiency · +2 | 6 | confirmed |
| 2025-07-14 | Supreme Court 6-3 Stay Authorizes Mass Federal Workforce Reductions at 22 Agencies U.S. Supreme Court · Trump Administration · American Federation of Government Employees | 3 | confirmed |
| 2025-07-15 | Climate Programs Dismantled - NOAA Faces 27% Budget Cut NOAA · Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research · U.S. Global Change Research Program · Heritage Foundation · +2 | 6 | confirmed |
| 2025-08-01 | Supreme Court Expands Louisiana Redistricting Case to Challenge Section 2 of Voting Rights Act U.S. Supreme Court · Department of Justice · Louisiana · NAACP Legal Defense Fund · +3 | 7 | confirmed |
| 2025-08-07 | Trump Issues 202 Executive Orders with Two-Thirds Matching Project 2025 Blueprint Donald Trump · Heritage Foundation · Project 2025 · Federal Register | 4 | confirmed |
| 2025-08-11 | Trump Nominates Partisan Heritage Foundation Economist to Lead Bureau of Labor Statistics E.J. Antoni · Donald Trump · Bureau of Labor Statistics · Heritage Foundation · +1 | 5 | confirmed |
| 2025-08-29 | Federal Circuit Court Rules Trump Tariffs Violated IEEPA, Exceeded Presidential Authority U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit · Donald Trump · U.S. Supreme Court | 3 | confirmed |
| 2025-09-01 | Mass Inspector General Firings Implement Project 2025 Plan Donald Trump · Chuck Grassley · Chuck Schumer · Elizabeth Warren · +3 | 7 | confirmed |
| 2025-09-02 | Supreme Court Allows Trump to Remove FTC Commissioner, Gutting Agency Independence Chief Justice John Roberts · Donald Trump · Rebecca Slaughter · U.S. Supreme Court · +1 | 5 | reported |
| 2025-09-04 | Trump Administration Petitions Supreme Court for Emergency Review of Tariffs Ruling Donald Trump · U.S. Supreme Court · U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit · Department of Justice | 4 | reported |
| 2025-09-04 | Trump Fires Bureau of Labor Statistics Commissioner After Unfavorable Jobs Report Donald Trump · Erika McEntarfer · EJ Antoni · Bureau of Labor Statistics · +1 | 5 | reported |
| 2025-09-09 | Heritage Foundation Publishes 800-Page Constitutional Guide as Trump's Judicial Roadmap Heritage Foundation · Justice Samuel Alito · Donald Trump · U.S. Supreme Court | 4 | reported |
| 2025-09-11 | Trump Administration Threatens National Guard Deployment to Chicago Donald Trump · Heritage Foundation · Chicago City Government · Stephen Miller · +1 | 5 | reported |
| 2025-09-22 | Supreme Court Agrees to Reconsider Humphrey's Executor, Review Trump's Power to Fire Agency Heads U.S. Supreme Court · Donald Trump · Rebecca Slaughter · Federal Trade Commission · +1 | 5 | reported |
| 2025-09-22 | Supreme Court Allows Trump to Fire FTC Commissioner Slaughter, Threatens Independent Agencies U.S. Supreme Court · Donald Trump · Rebecca Slaughter · Alvaro Bedoya · +1 | 5 | reported |
| 2025-09-26 | Supreme Court Allows Trump to Withhold $4B in Foreign Aid Through Illegal 'Pocket Rescission' U.S. Supreme Court · Donald Trump · Elena Kagan · Mike Johnson · +1 | 5 | reported |
| 2025-10-03 | Supreme Court Uses Emergency Docket to Expand Presidential Power U.S. Supreme Court · Trump Administration · Conservative Supreme Court Majority | 3 | reported |
| 2025-10-06 | Supreme Court Begins 2025-2026 Term with Focus on Executive Power and Voting Rights U.S. Supreme Court · John Roberts · Conservative Majority | 3 | confirmed |
| 2025-10-09 | Senate Confirms Jennifer Mascott to Third Circuit Court of Appeals Jennifer Mascott · U.S. Senate · U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit · Donald Trump · +1 | 5 | reported |
| 2025-10-15 | Supreme Court Reargues Louisiana v. Callais, Threatens Voting Rights Act U.S. Supreme Court · Louisiana · American Civil Liberties Union · NAACP Legal Defense Fund · +1 | 5 | reported |
| 2025-10-27 | Tucker Carlson Interviews Nick Fuentes, Exposing Republican Rift Over Antisemitism Tucker Carlson · Nick Fuentes · Ben Shapiro · Ted Cruz · +2 | 6 | confirmed |
| 2025-10-29 | Supreme Court to Review Trump's Federalization of National Guard in Chicago, Nationwide Implications April Perry · Donald Trump · JB Pritzker · U.S. Supreme Court | 4 | confirmed |
| 2025-11-05 | Supreme Court Hears Landmark Tariff Case, Justices Express Deep Skepticism of Trump's Emergency Powers Donald Trump · U.S. Supreme Court | 2 | confirmed |
| 2025-11-06 | Supreme Court Issues Emergency Stay Allowing Trump Administration to Withhold $4 Billion in SNAP Food Benefits U.S. Supreme Court · Ketanji Brown Jackson · John McConnell · USDA | 4 | reported |
| 2025-11-07 | Supreme Court Temporarily Blocks Full SNAP Payments to 42 Million Americans U.S. Supreme Court · Ketanji Brown Jackson · John McConnell Jr. · U.S. Department of Agriculture · +1 | 5 | reported |
| 2025-11-10 | Heritage Foundation Board Members Resign Over Kevin Roberts Defending Tucker Carlson's Fuentes Interview Kevin Roberts · Robert P. George · Shane McCullar · Abby Spencer Moffat · +3 | 7 | confirmed |
| 2025-12-05 | Supreme Court Grants Review of Trump's Birthright Citizenship Challenge, Setting Stage for Constitutional Crisis U.S. Supreme Court · Donald Trump · D. John Sauer · American Civil Liberties Union · +5 | 9 | disputed |
| 2025-12-08 | Supreme Court Signals Intent to Overturn 90-Year Precedent Protecting Independent Agency Leaders from Presidential Firing, Expanding Executive Power U.S. Supreme Court · Donald Trump · Rebecca Slaughter · John Roberts · +4 | 8 | confirmed |
| 2025-12-23 | Supreme Court Blocks Trump National Guard Deployment to Chicago, Ruling 'Regular Forces' Means Military U.S. Supreme Court · Donald Trump · John Roberts · Brett Kavanaugh · +9 | 13 | confirmed |
| 2026-01-07 | National Guard Troops Return Home After Supreme Court Blocks Trump Deployment to Chicago, Portland, LA Donald Trump · Gavin Newsom · Brandon Johnson · U.S. Northern Command · +1 | 5 | confirmed |
| 2026-01-09 | Supreme Court Narrows AEDPA Bar on Federal Habeas Claims U.S. Supreme Court · Sonia Sotomayor · Neil Gorsuch · John Roberts | 4 | confirmed |
| 2026-01-13 | Supreme Court Hears Transgender Sports Ban Cases, Signals Support for Restrictions U.S. Supreme Court · John Roberts · Brett Kavanaugh · Samuel Alito · +2 | 6 | confirmed |
| 2026-01-14 | Supreme Court Rules 7-2 in Bost v. Illinois That Candidates Have Standing to Challenge Election Rules U.S. Supreme Court · John Roberts · Ketanji Brown Jackson · Sonia Sotomayor · +1 | 5 | confirmed |
| 2026-01-20 | Supreme Court Issues Three Unanimous Rulings on Federal Procedures U.S. Supreme Court · Amy Coney Barrett · Samuel Alito | 3 | confirmed |
| 2026-01-21 | Supreme Court Hears Arguments on Presidential Removal Power in Trump v Cook U.S. Supreme Court · Donald Trump · D. John Sauer · Brett Kavanaugh · +1 | 5 | confirmed |
| 2026-01-21 | Supreme Court Hears Trump v. Cook, Justices Skeptical of Presidential Power to Fire Federal Reserve Governors Donald Trump · Lisa Cook · U.S. Supreme Court · Brett Kavanaugh · +2 | 6 | confirmed |
| 2026-01-29 | Supreme Court to Hear Birthright Citizenship Challenge in April U.S. Supreme Court · Donald Trump · American Civil Liberties Union · D. John Sauer | 4 | confirmed |
| 2026-02-20 | Supreme Court Strikes Down IEEPA Tariffs 6-3 in Historic Limitation on Executive Trade Authority John Roberts · United States Supreme Court · Donald Trump | 3 | confirmed |
| 2026-02-27 | US Catholic Bishops Call Trump Birthright Citizenship Order "Affront to Catholic Teaching," File SCOTUS Brief U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops · Donald Trump · U.S. Supreme Court · Bishop Brendan Cahill | 4 | confirmed |
| 2026-03-05 | 24 State Attorneys General Sue Trump Over New Tariffs After Supreme Court Struck Down Previous Ones New York Attorney General Letitia James · U.S. Court of International Trade · U.S. Supreme Court · Trump Administration | 4 | confirmed |
| 2026-03-07 | Trump Administration Escalates Campaign to Strip Federal Judges of Power to Block Presidential Orders Trump Administration · U.S. Supreme Court · U.S. Department of Justice · U.S. House of Representatives | 4 | confirmed |
| 2026-03-11 | Trump Administration Asks Supreme Court to End Deportation Protections for 350,000 Haitians Donald Trump · U.S. Department of Homeland Security · Kristi Noem · U.S. Supreme Court | 4 | confirmed |
| 2026-04-01 | Supreme Court Hears Birthright Citizenship Arguments; Gorsuch Exposes Government's Inability to Protect Native American Citizenship U.S. Supreme Court · Neil Gorsuch · D. John Sauer · Donald Trump · +1 | 5 | confirmed |
176 events on this timeline
Other curated timelines
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The Kremlin's twelve-year project to corrode the American electorateRussian interference, 2014–2026
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9 actors · 2014–2026
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Edward Snowden's 2013 disclosures led to one major reform and a decade of expansion. The named agencies and contractors that built …
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Cite this view
The Cascade Ledger. “Citizens United and what came after.” Curated timeline view, capturecascade.org, May 7, 2026. https://capturecascade.org/timelines/citizens-united-aftermath/Embed in your site
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