Forty years of court-packing as a deliberate institutional project

The Federalist Society pipeline to SCOTUS

From Reagan-era founding through the six-three majority — the named architects and the justices they delivered.

10 actors 19822026 44 yrs
The Federalist Society pipeline to SCOTUS198519901995200020052010201520202025Iran-Contra9/11Citizens UnitedTrump 1.0Trump 2.0Federalist SocietyLeonard LeoHeritage Foundation64 eventsAntonin ScaliaClarence ThomasSamuel AlitoJohn RobertsNeil GorsuchBrett KavanaughAmy Coney Barrett
Capture lanecorruptiondemocraticexecutivefinancialintelligencejudiciallaborlegislativemediamilitaryotherregulatory Status confirmed alleged disputed

The Federalist Society was founded at Yale and Chicago law schools in 1982. Forty years later, six of its members held a majority on the Supreme Court. This is not coincidence; it is the longest-running successful institutional capture project in American history, with a single named operative — Leonard Leo — orchestrating the pipeline from membership recruitment through judicial nomination through dark-money confirmation campaigns.

Each justice’s row begins with their nomination. Read across to see the rulings that followed. The density of post-2017 decisions on the lower rows shows what a captured Court does once installed.

All events on this timeline

chronological
DateEventActorsStatus
1982-02-09Reagan Appoints Robert Bork to DC Circuit Court of Appeals, Positioning Antitrust Revolution Author for Supreme Court
Robert Bork · Ronald Reagan · D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals · Federalist Society · +2
6confirmed
1982-04-25Federalist Society Established: Conservative Judicial Pipeline Inception
Steven Calabresi · David McIntosh · Lee Liberman Otis · Robert Bork · +2
6confirmed
1982-04-25Federalist Society Organizational Profile: Judicial Pipeline and Conservative Legal Movement Infrastructure
Federalist Society · Leonard Leo · Steven Calabresi · David McIntosh · +7
11confirmed
1983-01-01Heritage Foundation Expands to 100+ Staff with $10 Million Budget During Reagan Administration Peak Influence
Heritage Foundation · Edwin Feulner · Ronald Reagan · Richard Scaife · +2
6confirmed
1983-03-09Anne Gorsuch Resigns EPA After Contempt of Congress: Regulatory Capture Exposed
Ronald Reagan · U.S. Congress · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · Neil Gorsuch
4confirmed
1983-04-26A Nation at Risk Report Launches Education Reform Industry, Lays Groundwork for Privatization
Ronald Reagan · Heritage Foundation
2confirmed
1985-01-01Bradley Foundation Transformation - Coordinated Conservative Infrastructure Funding
Heritage Foundation · Federalist Society · American Enterprise Institute · American Legislative Exchange Council
4confirmed
1986-01-01State Policy Network (Madison Group) Founded - State-Level Think Tank Coordination
American Legislative Exchange Council · Heritage Foundation · Heartland Institute
3confirmed
1986-02-25Meese Announces West Publishing Deal: Presidential Signing Statements Enter U.S. Code Legislative History
Edwin Meese · Ronald Reagan · Samuel Alito · U.S. Department of Justice
4confirmed
1987-01-01Heritage Foundation Budget Reaches $14.3 Million - Scale of Corporate Policy Investment
Heritage Foundation · Joseph Coors · Richard Mellon Scaife · Edwin Feulner
4confirmed
1987-10-23Senate Rejects Robert Bork Supreme Court Nomination 42-58, First Ideological Rejection in Nearly a Century
Robert Bork · Ronald Reagan · Edward Kennedy · Lewis Powell · +5
9confirmed
1988-06-29Morrison v. Olson: Scalia's Lone Dissent Articulates Unitary-Executive Theory That Becomes Movement Doctrine
U.S. Supreme Court · William Rehnquist · Antonin Scalia · Edwin Meese
4confirmed
1991-01-01Leonard Leo Joins Federalist Society, Begins Strategic Judicial Talent Pipeline
Leonard Leo · Federalist Society
2confirmed
1994-11-08Republicans Win Historic Midterm Election with Contract with America
Newt Gingrich · Dick Armey · Richard Mellon Scaife · Joseph Coors · +1
5confirmed
1997-01-01Koch Industries Launches Massive Climate Denial Funding Network
Koch Industries · Charles Koch · David Koch · Cato Institute · +4
8confirmed
2000-01-01CNP and Federalist Society Coordination - Leonard Leo Links Judicial and Political Networks
Council for National Policy · Federalist Society · Leonard Leo · Clarence Thomas
4confirmed
2000-11-22Brooks Brothers Riot: Republican Operatives Physically Stop Miami-Dade Recount
Roger Stone · John Roberts · Brett Kavanaugh · Amy Coney Barrett · +2
6confirmed
2000-12-09Supreme Court Grants Bush Emergency Stay with Scalia's "Irreparable Harm" Logic
Antonin Scalia · William Rehnquist · Clarence Thomas · Sandra Day O'Connor · +1
5confirmed
2000-12-12Supreme Court Delivers Partisan Bush v. Gore Decision with Corporate Legal Team Involvement
George W. Bush · Al Gore · William Rehnquist · Sandra Day O'Connor · +5
9confirmed
2001-06-07Bush Signs EGTRRA Tax Cuts - Top Rate Reduced from 39.6% to 35%, Estate Tax Phased Out, Beginning $1.5 Trillion Debt Increase
George W. Bush · Dick Cheney · Dennis Hastert · Trent Lott · +3
7confirmed
2002-06-27Zelman v. Simmons-Harris - Supreme Court Upholds School Vouchers for Religious Schools
William Rehnquist · Sandra Day O'Connor · Clarence Thomas · Institute for Justice · +1
5confirmed
2002-09-01Think Tank Network Coordinates Iraq War Support Following Powell Memo Template
American Enterprise Institute · Heritage Foundation · Dick Cheney · Paul Wolfowitz
4confirmed
2002-09-02Heritage Foundation Coordinates with WHIG for Crisis-Accelerated Implementation of Powell Memorandum Blueprint
Heritage Foundation · White House Iraq Group · Edwin Feulner · Paul Weyrich · +2
6confirmed
2002-09-15Powell Memorandum Institutional Network Establishes Systematic Crisis Coordination with WHIG Operations
American Enterprise Institute · Cato Institute · Hoover Institution · Federalist Society · +1
5confirmed
2002-11-15Federalist Society Provides WHIG with Crisis-Accelerated Legal Justification Infrastructure for Powell Memorandum Implementation
Federalist Society · John Yoo · Jay Bybee · Steven Calabresi · +1
5confirmed
2003-01-01Clarence Thomas Begins Undisclosed Luxury Trips on Harlan Crow's Yacht and Private Jets
Clarence Thomas · Harlan Crow
2confirmed
2003-01-01State Policy Network Organizational Profile: Coordinating 66 State Think Tanks for Synchronized Corporate Capture
State Policy Network · Bradley Foundation · DonorsTrust · Mackinac Center · +2
6confirmed
2003-05-01Powell-WHIG Template Establishes Crisis-Accelerated Institutional Capture Blueprint for Ongoing Democratic Transformation
George W. Bush · White House Iraq Group · Heritage Foundation · Federalist Society
4confirmed
2003-05-28Bush Signs JGTRRA - Dividend and Capital Gains Rates Slashed to 15%, Massively Favoring Investment Income Over Wages
George W. Bush · Dick Cheney · Americans for Tax Reform · Grover Norquist · +2
6confirmed
2003-06-23Grutter v. Bollinger - Supreme Court Upholds Affirmative Action but Sets 25-Year Limit
Sandra Day O'Connor · Clarence Thomas
2confirmed
2004-01-22DC Opportunity Scholarship Program - First Federally-Funded School Voucher System
George W. Bush · Heritage Foundation · American Federation for Children
3confirmed
2004-06-24Supreme Court Protects Cheney Energy Task Force Secrecy
Dick Cheney · U.S. Supreme Court · Anthony Kennedy · Antonin Scalia · +2
6confirmed
2005-08-29Hurricane Katrina Enables .4B No-Bid Disaster Capitalism Takeover
Dick Cheney · Halliburton · Heritage Foundation
3confirmed
2006-05-15eBay v. MercExchange: Supreme Court Limits Automatic Patent Injunctions, Enabling Patent Troll Business Model to Flourish
U.S. Supreme Court · Clarence Thomas · Anthony Kennedy
3confirmed
2008-01-01Hans 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
5confirmed
2008-07-01Samuel Alito Takes Undisclosed Alaska Fishing Trip with Billionaire Paul Singer
Samuel Alito · Paul Singer · Leonard Leo
3confirmed
2009-01-01Harlan Crow Begins Paying Private School Tuition for Thomas's Grandnephew
Clarence Thomas · Harlan Crow
2confirmed
2009-06-26Koch Network Mobilizes to Kill Waxman-Markey Cap-and-Trade Climate Bill
Koch brothers · Charles Koch · David Koch · Americans for Prosperity · +4
8confirmed
2009-07-17ALEC Creates Model Voter ID Legislation Following Obama Election
American Legislative Exchange Council · Hans von Spakovsky · Heritage Foundation
3confirmed
2010-01-01Corporate-Funded Think Tanks Testify to Congress While Hiding Donor Conflicts of Interest
Heritage Foundation · American Enterprise Institute · Koch brothers · General Electric · +2
6confirmed
2010-01-01DonorsTrust Organizational Profile: Dark Money ATM Enabling Anonymous Billionaire Political Spending
DonorsTrust · Koch brothers · Federalist Society · State Policy Network · +2
6confirmed
2010-01-27Obama Criticizes Citizens United at State of Union, Alito Responds 'Not True'
Barack Obama · Samuel Alito · John Roberts · Ruth Bader Ginsburg · +3
7confirmed
2011-01-0134 States Introduce ALEC Voter ID Bills in Coordinated Suppression Campaign
American Legislative Exchange Council · Republican state legislators · Heritage Foundation · State Policy Network
4confirmed
2012-01-01Leonard Leo Directs Hidden Payments to Ginni Thomas Through Kellyanne Conway, Instructs "No Mention of Ginni"
Leonard Leo · Ginni Thomas · Clarence Thomas · Kellyanne Conway · +1
5confirmed
2012-06-28Supreme Court Makes ACA Medicaid Expansion Optional, Enabling State Obstruction
U.S. Supreme Court · John Roberts · Republican Governors
3confirmed
2013-04-03Edwin Feulner Retires as Heritage Foundation President After 36 Years Building Conservative Movement Infrastructure
Edwin Feulner · Heritage Foundation · Jim DeMint · Richard Scaife · +4
8confirmed
2013-06-25Shelby County Decision Guts Voting Rights Act Preclearance
Clarence Thomas · Samuel Alito · John Roberts
3confirmed
2014-04-02Supreme Court Strikes Down Aggregate Campaign Contribution Limits in McCutcheon v. FEC
U.S. Supreme Court · John Roberts · Republican National Committee · Anthony Kennedy · +5
9confirmed
2014-06-16Supreme Court backs broad discovery in Argentina debt case (Alito joined majority); Singer's fund later benefited
Samuel Alito · Paul Singer · U.S. Supreme Court
3confirmed
2014-06-19Alice Corp. v. CLS Bank: Supreme Court Restricts Software Patents, Reducing Patent Troll Leverage Over Abstract Business Methods
U.S. Supreme Court · Clarence Thomas
2confirmed
2014-06-25Supreme Court Rules Warrantless Cell Phone Searches Unconstitutional in Riley v. California
U.S. Supreme Court · John Roberts
2confirmed
2014-07-04Richard Mellon Scaife Dies After Investing $620 Million in Conservative Movement Infrastructure
Richard Scaife · Heritage Foundation · Federalist Society · State Policy Network · +2
6confirmed
2014-10-20Harlan Crow Purchases Clarence Thomas's Mother's House in Undisclosed Deal
Clarence Thomas · Harlan Crow
2confirmed
2015-01-01Eastern District of Texas Patent Troll Haven: Judge Rodney Gilstrap Handles 25% of All U.S. Patent Cases, Forum Shopping Peak
John Roberts
1confirmed
2015-06-25Supreme Court Rejects King v. Burwell Challenge to ACA Subsidies in Federal Exchanges
U.S. Supreme Court · John Roberts · Antonin Scalia
3confirmed
2016-02-13Justice Antonin Scalia Dies, McConnell Immediately Vows to Block Any Obama Nominee
Antonin Scalia · Mitch McConnell · Barack Obama
3confirmed
2016-05-18Trump Promises All Supreme Court Picks Will Come From Federalist Society
Donald Trump · Leonard Leo · Don McGahn · Neil Gorsuch · +4
8confirmed
2017-01-20Heritage Foundation Staffs Trump Admin, Implements 64% of Agenda
Heritage Foundation · Donald Trump · Mick Mulvaney · Scott Pruitt · +3
7confirmed
2017-01-31Federalist Society Captures Federal Judiciary with $250M Dark Money
Federalist Society · Leonard Leo · Donald Trump · Mitch McConnell
4confirmed
2017-04-07McConnell Invokes Nuclear Option, Eliminates Filibuster for Supreme Court Nominees, Gorsuch Confirmed 54-45
Mitch McConnell · Neil Gorsuch · Chuck Schumer · Donald Trump
4confirmed
2017-04-16Neil Gorsuch Sells Property to Law Firm CEO Days After Supreme Court Confirmation
Neil Gorsuch
1confirmed
2017-05-02Ed Feulner Returns as Heritage Foundation Interim President After DeMint Ousted for Management Failures
Edwin Feulner · Jim DeMint · Heritage Foundation · Kay Coles James · +1
5confirmed
2017-05-22TC Heartland v. Kraft: Supreme Court Limits Patent Forum Shopping, Curbing Eastern District of Texas Troll Haven
U.S. Supreme Court · Clarence Thomas
2confirmed
2017-12-22Trump 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 · Orrin Hatch · +5
9confirmed
2018-01-01Clarence Thomas Attends Koch Network Donor Summit - Supreme Court Ethics Violations
Clarence Thomas · Koch Network · Council for National Policy
3confirmed
2018-05-21Epic Systems v. Lewis: Supreme Court Allows Mandatory Arbitration Blocking Class Action Labor Claims
U.S. Supreme Court · Neil Gorsuch · Federalist Society · Corporate employers · +1
5confirmed
2018-06-11Supreme Court Upholds Ohio's Aggressive "Use It Or Lose It" Voter Purge System
U.S. Supreme Court · Samuel Alito · Sonia Sotomayor
3confirmed
2018-06-27Janus v. AFSCME - Supreme Court Strikes Down Public Sector Union Fees, Targeting Teachers' Unions
Samuel Alito · Neil Gorsuch · State Policy Network · Bradley Foundation · +3
7confirmed
2018-09-27Christine Blasey Ford Delivers Credible, Emotional Testimony Alleging Kavanaugh Sexual Assault, He Responds with Partisan Rant
Brett Kavanaugh · Lindsey Graham · Chuck Grassley
3confirmed
2018-10-06Senate Confirms Kavanaugh 50-48 Despite Sexual Assault Allegations and Severely Limited FBI Investigation
Brett Kavanaugh · Susan Collins · Joe Manchin · Lisa Murkowski · +1
5confirmed
2019-01-01Ginni Thomas Joins CNP Action Board - Supreme Court Spouse in Conservative Coordination Hub
Ginni Thomas · Clarence Thomas · Council for National Policy · CNP Action
4confirmed
2019-02-14William 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 · +4
8confirmed
2019-06-27Supreme Court Rules Partisan Gerrymandering Beyond Federal Court Jurisdiction
U.S. Supreme Court · John Roberts · Robert Rucho · Common Cause
4confirmed
2019-07-01Clarence Thomas Takes 8-Day Indonesia Yacht Trip with Harlan Crow
Clarence Thomas · Harlan Crow
2confirmed
2020-04-01CNP Coordinates National COVID-19 Anti-Lockdown Protest Movement
Council for National Policy · CNP Action · Stephen Moore · Heritage Foundation · +3
7confirmed
2020-06-30Espinoza v. Montana - Supreme Court Strikes Down State Bans on Religious School Funding
John Roberts · Clarence Thomas · Samuel Alito · Institute for Justice
4confirmed
2020-09-18Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Dies 46 Days Before Election, McConnell Immediately Vows to Confirm Replacement Despite 2016 Standard
Ruth Bader Ginsburg · Mitch McConnell · Donald Trump · John Roberts
4confirmed
2020-09-26Rose Garden Amy Coney Barrett Ceremony Becomes White House COVID Superspreader Event
Donald Trump · Amy Coney Barrett · Melania Trump · Mike Lee · +4
8confirmed
2020-09-26Trump Nominates Amy Coney Barrett to Supreme Court, Religious Conservative to Replace Liberal Icon Ginsburg
Donald Trump · Amy Coney Barrett · Mitch McConnell · Ruth Bader Ginsburg
4confirmed
2020-10-21Trump Issues Original Schedule F Executive Order: Civil Service Protection Elimination
Donald Trump · Office of Personnel Management · Heritage Foundation · Project 2025 · +1
5confirmed
2020-10-26Senate Confirms Amy Coney Barrett 52-48 Eight Days Before Election, Creating 6-3 Conservative Supermajority
Amy Coney Barrett · Mitch McConnell · Donald Trump · Susan Collins · +2
6confirmed
2021-01-01440 Voter Restriction Bills Introduced in 49 States - ALEC's Largest Suppression Wave
American Legislative Exchange Council · Heritage Foundation · Heritage Action · Republican state legislators · +1
5confirmed
2021-01-01ALEC Develops New Model Election Bills to Implement Trump's "Big Lie"
American Legislative Exchange Council · Heritage Foundation · Heritage Action · State Policy Network · +1
5confirmed
2021-01-01Barre Seid Donates $1.6 Billion to Leonard Leo Dark Money Network
Leonard Leo
1confirmed
2021-01-06Ginni Thomas Attends "Stop the Steal" Rally Before Capitol Attack, CNP Board Member at Insurrection
Ginni Thomas · Clarence Thomas · Council for National Policy · CNP Action · +4
8confirmed
2021-05-13Leaked Video Exposes Heritage Action's $24 Million Voter Suppression Campaign Coordinating State Legislation
Heritage Action · Heritage Foundation · Hans von Spakovsky · Brian Kemp · +1
5confirmed
2022-04-01Heritage Foundation Launches 2 Million Project 2025 Initiative
Heritage Foundation · Kevin Roberts · Paul Dans
3confirmed
2022-06-24Dobbs v. Jackson: Supreme Court Overturns Roe v. Wade — The 49-Year Institutional Capture Project Succeeds
Samuel Alito · Leonard Leo · Federalist Society · Neil Gorsuch · +2
6confirmed
2022-06-27Kennedy v. Bremerton: Supreme Court Rules 6-3 for Public School Prayer, Effectively Overturning Lemon Test
Neil Gorsuch
1confirmed
2022-06-30Supreme Court Establishes Major Questions Doctrine in West Virginia v. EPA, Limiting Regulatory Power
U.S. Supreme Court · John Roberts · Clarence Thomas · Samuel Alito · +9
13confirmed
2022-12-05Kendal Price Files Whistleblower Complaint on Jane Roberts Commission Income and Chief Justice Non-Recusal
John Roberts · Dick Durbin
2confirmed
2023-01-01CNP Members Lead Project 2025 Coalition Organizations - Coordination Infrastructure for Trump Return
Council for National Policy · Heritage Foundation · Edwin Meese III · Cleta Mitchell · +1
5confirmed
2023-02-01Project 2025 launches Presidential Administration Academy — Heritage Foundation training pipeline for future conservative political appointees
Heritage Foundation · Paul Dans · Roger Severino
3confirmed
2023-03-01Project 2025 Presidential Personnel Database launches — Heritage Foundation 'conservative LinkedIn' with ideological screening for 20,000 vetted candidates
Heritage Foundation · Paul Dans
2confirmed
2023-04-01Heritage Foundation launches Project 2025 initiative
Heritage Foundation · Kevin Roberts · Paul Dans · Mark Meadows · +3
7confirmed
2023-04-06ProPublica Exposes Two Decades of Undisclosed Thomas-Crow Gifts
ProPublica · Clarence Thomas · Harlan Crow · U.S. Supreme Court
4confirmed
2023-04-06ProPublica reveals decades of luxury travel/gifts to Justice Thomas; 2023 Judicial Conference narrows hospitality exemption
Clarence Thomas · Harlan Crow
2confirmed
2023-06-20ProPublica Reveals Samuel Alito's Undisclosed Luxury Trip with Billionaire Paul Singer
Samuel Alito · Paul Singer · Leonard Leo · ProPublica
4confirmed
2023-06-29Supreme Court Ends Affirmative Action in College Admissions in Students for Fair Admissions Decisions
U.S. Supreme Court · John Roberts · Clarence Thomas · Samuel Alito · +9
13confirmed
2023-06-30Supreme Court Allows Religious Exemptions from Anti-Discrimination Laws in 303 Creative v. Elenis
U.S. Supreme Court · Neil Gorsuch · John Roberts · Clarence Thomas · +8
12confirmed
2023-06-30Supreme Court Strikes Down Biden Student Loan Forgiveness 6-3 - Protects Debt System Against Democratic Relief
John Roberts · Joe Biden · Elena Kagan
3confirmed
2023-11-09Senate Judiciary Subpoenas Harlan Crow Over Thomas Gifts After Resistance
Senate Judiciary Committee · Dick Durbin · Harlan Crow · Clarence Thomas · +1
5confirmed
2023-12-31Investigation Reveals $6.6 Million in Gifts to Supreme Court Justices
Supreme Court Justices · Harlan Crow · Paul Singer · Clarence Thomas · +1
5confirmed
2024-01-01Clarence Thomas Secretly Participated in Koch Network Donor Events
Clarence Thomas · Koch Network · Charles Koch · David Koch · +1
5confirmed
2024-01-15Systematic Supreme Court Ethics Violations Exposed: Thomas-Crow Revelations Reveal Institutional Corruption
Clarence Thomas · Harlan Crow · Senate Judiciary Committee · ProPublica
4confirmed
2024-03-19SCOTUS allows Texas SB 4 to take effect temporarily
Supreme Court of the United States · State of Texas · Biden Administration · Samuel Alito · +3
7confirmed
2024-05-27Danube Institute 'Rule of Law as Lawfare' Conference Convenes US Heritage Foundation, Polish Supreme Court, Israeli Overhaul Author, and Federalist Society-Orbit Scholars in Budapest
Heritage Foundation · John Yoo
2confirmed
2024-06-26SCOTUS: Plaintiffs lack standing in social-media coercion case (Murthy v. Missouri)
Supreme Court of the United States · Amy Coney Barrett · Samuel Alito · Clarence Thomas · +2
6confirmed
2024-06-27SCOTUS limits SEC use of in-house tribunals for civil penalties (SEC v. Jarkesy)
Supreme Court of the United States · Securities and Exchange Commission · John Roberts · Clarence Thomas · +3
7confirmed
2024-06-27SCOTUS stays EPA 'Good Neighbor Plan' for cross-state smog program
Supreme Court of the United States · Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) · Neil Gorsuch
3confirmed
2024-06-27Supreme Court Rejects Sackler Immunity in 5-4 Decision, Blocks Bankruptcy Shield
U.S. Supreme Court · Neil Gorsuch · Ketanji Brown Jackson · Brett Kavanaugh · +2
6confirmed
2024-06-28SCOTUS overrules Chevron deference (Loper Bright v. Raimondo)
Supreme Court of the United States · John Roberts
2confirmed
2024-07-01Supreme Court Grants Broad Presidential Immunity in Trump v. United States, Creating King-Like Powers
U.S. Supreme Court · John Roberts · Clarence Thomas · Samuel Alito · +9
13confirmed
2024-07-01Supreme Court Trump Immunity Ruling Institutionalizes WHIG Constitutional Crisis Precedent into Permanent Oligarchic Governance Framework
Supreme Court of the United States · John Roberts · Donald Trump · Clarence Thomas · +4
8confirmed
2024-07-15Judge Cannon dismisses Trump classified documents case, rules Jack Smith appointment unconstitutional
Aileen Cannon · Jack Smith · Donald Trump · Clarence Thomas · +1
5confirmed
2024-07-30Paul Dans departs as Project 2025 director amid campaign controversy
Paul Dans · Kevin Roberts · Heritage Foundation · Donald Trump · +1
5confirmed
2024-08-13JD Vance Writes Foreword for Project 2025 Architect's Book
J.D. Vance · Kevin Roberts · Heritage Foundation · Paul Dans
4confirmed
2025-01-20Executive Order 14171: Restoring Accountability to Policy-Influencing Positions (Schedule F)
Donald Trump · Office of Personnel Management · Heritage Foundation
3confirmed
2025-01-20JD Vance Sworn In as 50th Vice President, Positioned for Potential Constitutional Crisis Management
J.D. Vance · Brett Kavanaugh · Donald Trump · U.S. Supreme Court · +1
5confirmed
2025-01-20Project 2025: Trump Administration Launches Massive Federal Civil Service Restructuring
Donald Trump · Heritage Foundation · Kevin Roberts · Paul Dans
4confirmed
2025-01-20Systematic Coordination Emerges in Federal Worker Purge and Civil Service Dismantling
Trump Administration · Heritage Foundation · Office of Personnel Management · Paul Dans · +1
5confirmed
2025-01-24Time finds nearly 65% of early executive actions mirror Project 2025 proposals
Donald Trump · Russ Vought · Heritage Foundation · Paul Dans
4confirmed
2025-01-25Brendan Carr chairs FCC after writing Project 2025 FCC chapter
Brendan Carr · Federal Communications Commission · Trump Administration · Heritage Foundation
4confirmed
2025-02-01ALEC 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
9confirmed
2025-02-01Schedule F Implementation Targets 50,000 Federal Workers
Donald Trump · Russell Vought · Heritage Foundation
3confirmed
2025-02-15Federal Judges Address Escalating Threats to Judicial Independence
John Roberts · Federal Judiciary · U.S. Supreme Court · U.S. Marshals Service
4confirmed
2025-02-18Trump Asserts Unitary Executive Control Over DOJ, Echoing Nixon's Saturday Night Massacre
Donald Trump · Department of Justice · Heritage Foundation
3confirmed
2025-02-21Attorney General Bondi Says Epstein Files "Sitting on My Desk"
Pam Bondi · John Roberts · Fox News
3confirmed
2025-03-11Heritage Foundation Hosts Closed-Door Washington Workshop With Hungary's MCC and Poland's Ordo Iuris on Dismantling the European Commission and European Court of Justice
Heritage Foundation
1confirmed
2025-03-20Trump Signs Executive Order Directing Dismantlement of Department of Education
Donald Trump · Linda McMahon · Heritage Foundation
3confirmed
2025-04-10Supreme Court Unanimously Rules Government Must 'Facilitate' Abrego Garcia's Return
Supreme Court · John Roberts · Kilmar Abrego Garcia · Trump Administration · +2
6confirmed
2025-05-05Congressional Hearing Exposes Systematic Judicial Intimidation Tactics
Senate Judiciary Committee · John Roberts · U.S. Marshals Service · Supreme Court Justices · +5
9confirmed
2025-06-09Lindsey Burke — Project 2025 Education Chapter Author — Named Education Department Deputy Chief of Staff
Linda McMahon · Heritage Foundation
2confirmed
2025-06-10Project 2025 Personnel Audit: Reformed-Evangelical Stream Achieves Highest Chapter-Author-to-Role Placement Rate; Three Parallel Pipelines Confirmed
Russell Vought · Brendan Carr · Peter Navarro · Pete Hegseth · +3
7confirmed
2025-06-17DDoSecrets releases 13,726 Project 2025 applicant questionnaire submissions — unredacted version enables first recommendation-to-placement spot-checks
Heritage Foundation · Paul Ingrassia
2confirmed
2025-07-04First 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
3confirmed
2025-07-15Climate Programs Dismantled - NOAA Faces 27% Budget Cut
NOAA · Heritage Foundation
2confirmed
2025-08-07Trump Issues 202 Executive Orders with Two-Thirds Matching Project 2025 Blueprint
Donald Trump · Heritage Foundation · Project 2025
3confirmed
2025-08-11Trump Nominates Partisan Heritage Foundation Economist to Lead Bureau of Labor Statistics
Donald Trump · Bureau of Labor Statistics · Heritage Foundation · Steve Bannon
4confirmed
2025-09-01Mass Inspector General Firings Implement Project 2025 Plan
Donald Trump · Chuck Grassley · Chuck Schumer · Elizabeth Warren · +2
6confirmed
2025-09-02Supreme Court Allows Trump to Remove FTC Commissioner, Gutting Agency Independence
John Roberts · Donald Trump · Rebecca Slaughter · U.S. Supreme Court · +1
5reported
2025-09-04Trump Fires Bureau of Labor Statistics Commissioner After Unfavorable Jobs Report
Donald Trump · Erika McEntarfer · Bureau of Labor Statistics · Heritage Foundation
4reported
2025-09-09Heritage Foundation Publishes 800-Page Constitutional Guide as Trump's Judicial Roadmap
Heritage Foundation · Samuel Alito · Donald Trump · U.S. Supreme Court
4reported
2025-09-11Trump Administration Threatens National Guard Deployment to Chicago
Donald Trump · Heritage Foundation · Stephen Miller
3reported
2025-09-22Supreme 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
5reported
2025-10-06Supreme Court Begins 2025-2026 Term with Focus on Executive Power and Voting Rights
U.S. Supreme Court · John Roberts
2confirmed
2025-10-09Senate Confirms Jennifer Mascott to Third Circuit Court of Appeals
U.S. Senate · Donald Trump · Federalist Society
3reported
2025-10-27Tucker Carlson Interviews Nick Fuentes, Exposing Republican Rift Over Antisemitism
Tucker Carlson · Nick Fuentes · Ben Shapiro · Ted Cruz · +2
6confirmed
2025-11-10Heritage Foundation Board Members Resign Over Kevin Roberts Defending Tucker Carlson's Fuentes Interview
Kevin Roberts · Tucker Carlson · Nick Fuentes · Heritage Foundation
4confirmed
2025-12-08Supreme 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 · +3
7confirmed
2025-12-09Heritage Foundation promotes 'Heritage 2.0' 2026 policy priorities (document released March 2025) — no personnel pillar; Project 2025 four-pillar architecture not continued
Heritage Foundation · Kevin Roberts
2confirmed
2025-12-23SCOTUS (6-3, Trump v. Illinois) Blocks Chicago National Guard Federalization; Trump Stands Down From Chicago/LA/Portland, Vows to 'Come Back Stronger'
U.S. Supreme Court · John Roberts · Amy Coney Barrett · Brett Kavanaugh · +2
6confirmed
2025-12-23Supreme Court Blocks Trump National Guard Deployment to Chicago, Ruling 'Regular Forces' Means Military
U.S. Supreme Court · Donald Trump · John Roberts · Brett Kavanaugh · +8
12confirmed
2026-01-09Supreme Court Narrows AEDPA Bar on Federal Habeas Claims
U.S. Supreme Court · Sonia Sotomayor · Neil Gorsuch · John Roberts
4confirmed
2026-01-13Supreme Court Hears Transgender Sports Ban Cases, Signals Support for Restrictions
U.S. Supreme Court · John Roberts · Brett Kavanaugh · Samuel Alito · +2
6confirmed
2026-01-14Supreme 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
4confirmed
2026-01-20Supreme Court Issues Three Unanimous Rulings on Federal Procedures
U.S. Supreme Court · Amy Coney Barrett · Samuel Alito
3confirmed
2026-01-21Supreme Court Hears Arguments on Presidential Removal Power in Trump v Cook
U.S. Supreme Court · Donald Trump · D. John Sauer · Brett Kavanaugh · +1
5confirmed
2026-01-21Supreme 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
6confirmed
2026-02-20Supreme Court Strikes Down IEEPA Tariffs 6-3 in Historic Limitation on Executive Trade Authority
John Roberts · Donald Trump
2confirmed
2026-04-01Supreme 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
5confirmed
2026-04-29Supreme Court Guts Section 2 of Voting Rights Act in Louisiana v. Callais, Reworking 40-Year Gingles Standard
Samuel Alito · Elena Kagan · Sonia Sotomayor · Ketanji Brown Jackson
4confirmed
2026-05-04SCOTUS 6-3 Callais Ruling Immediately Effective, Voiding 100K Ballots; Roberts Court Completes VRA Gutting
John Roberts · Clarence Thomas · Samuel Alito · Neil Gorsuch · +4
8confirmed
2026-06-18SCOTUS Unanimously Strikes Down Drug-User Gun Ban (US v. Hemani) — Bruen Extension Narrows Federal Criminal Firearms Law
Neil Gorsuch · Donald Trump · Supreme Court
3confirmed
2026-06-25Supreme Court (Mullin v. Doe, 6-3) Lets Trump End Haitian and Syrian TPS, Holds Terminations Shielded from Judicial Review
Supreme Court of the United States · Samuel Alito · Elena Kagan · Sonia Sotomayor · +4
8confirmed
2026-06-29SCOTUS in Watson v. RNC Upholds Mississippi 5-Day Mail-Ballot Window, 5-4, Barrett Writes for Liberal Bloc
Supreme Court of the United States · Amy Coney Barrett · Republican National Committee
3confirmed
2026-06-29Supreme Court Overturns Humphrey's Executor, Grants President At-Will Firing Power Over Independent Agencies
Supreme Court of the United States · Donald Trump · Federal Trade Commission · John Roberts · +1
5confirmed
2026-07-14Justices Barrett and Kagan Testify to Congress on Ethics; Kagan Backs Independent Enforcement Panel
Amy Coney Barrett · Elena Kagan · United States Congress
3reported
168 events on this timeline

Other curated timelines

How a Heritage Foundation document became an operating system
The Project 2025 architects

Eleven named figures, one think tank, and a transition team blueprint that became governance in real time.

11 actors · 2018–2026
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 …

9 actors · 2008–2026
Private prisons, ICE contracts, and the architecture of mass deportation
The detention industrial complex

Two corporations, one agency, and a quarter-century of building the infrastructure that 2025 weaponized.

8 actors · 1998–2026
The same person, restaffed for velocity
Trump 1.0 vs Trump 2.0

Both terms on one chart. The first term was chaotic, the second is operational. The difference is the personnel.

10 actors · 2017–2026
Decades of access, granted by elites, protected by prosecutors
The Epstein network's institutional reach

Jeffrey Epstein's operation depended on institutional cooperation — from a U.S. Attorney's secret non-prosecution agreement to a …

7 actors · 1992–2026
How a sitting president pumped his own token
The crypto cascade

World Liberty Financial, the $TRUMP and $MELANIA memecoins, the dismantling of crypto enforcement — and the named figures who made …

9 actors · 2017–2026
The Kremlin's twelve-year project to corrode the American electorate
Russian interference, 2014–2026

Vladimir Putin and the named American operatives, from troll farms through Manafort through Mueller through 2024.

9 actors · 2014–2026
Twelve years after the disclosures, the architecture has only grown
The surveillance state, Snowden to today

Edward Snowden's 2013 disclosures led to one major reform and a decade of expansion. The named agencies and contractors that built …

9 actors · 2010–2026
Cite this view
The Cascade Ledger. “The Federalist Society pipeline to SCOTUS.” Curated timeline view, capturecascade.org, July 28, 2026. https://capturecascade.org/timelines/federalist-society-pipeline/
Embed in your site
<iframe src="https://capturecascade.org/embed/timelines/federalist-society-pipeline/" width="100%" height="780" style="border:1px solid #d9d2bf;"></iframe>

Strips site chrome, attribution links back. More embed options →