• Society - Public sphere - Activism - Advocacy groups - America First Legal Foundation
• ont-uid: yoo9pavi
• COMMENT: transphobic organization.
• This is the main entry for the pro-Donald Trump, conservative advocacy group "America First Legal Foundation" ("America First Legal").
"America First Legal" and "Society - LGBT and society - LGBT rights - Transgender rights - Critics - United States - America First Legal Foundation" redirect here.
• On 2021-04-07 Stephen Miller launched the America First Legal Foundation, a conservative legal organization.
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Miller_(political_advisor)#Career
• America First Legal Foundation is a right-of-center nonprofit organization formed by former senior Trump White House advisor Stephen Miller and counselor to the Attorney General Gene Hamilton in February 2021.
It aims to use litigation to oppose left-of-center policies enacted by the Biden administration.
The board is made up of former Trump administration officials including White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and former Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker.
BACKGROUND.
The America First Legal Foundation was launched by Stephen Miller, a White House senior advisor to President Donald Trump.
Trump endorsed the organization upon its launch in April 2021.
The America First Legal Foundation has the goal of challenging Biden administration policies in court.
The foundation announced plans to work with state attorneys general to litigate cases against the Biden administration's policies. ... https://www.influencewatch.org/non-profit/america-first-legal-foundation/
• see also: Economy - Economic systems - Mixed economies - Social economy - Nonprofit organizations - 501(c)(3) organizations - Conservative Partnership Institute
• Economy - Economic systems - Mixed economies - Social economy - Philanthropy - Fundraising - Bluebonnet Fundraising LLC
• Nature - Earth - Countries - United States - Politics - Stephen Miller
• Society - Public sphere - Activism - Advocacy groups - Citizens for Sanity
• (2022-09-15, https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2022/09/new-dark-money-group-tied-to-former-trump-officials-launches-provocative-ads-ahead-of-2022-midterms) "New 'dark money' group tied to former Trump officials launches provocative ads ahead of 2022 midterms." "A new "dark money" group bankrolling provocative ads mocking progressive policies and politicians in battleground states ahead of 2022 midterms is connected to officials in former President Donald Trump's administration who now work with the America First Legal Foundation, records reviewed by OpenSecrets show.
The group, Citizens for Sanity, has paid for billboards emblazoned with messages like "Protect Pregnant Men from Climate Discrimination" and "Real progressives support violent criminals in their hour of need" in states across the country - including Massachusetts, Colorado, Arizona, Nevada, Pennsylvania, California, Michigan, Texas, Illinois and Georgia.
The ads have been described as racist and transphobic.
While many of the billboards mock progressive views generally, some of the group's ads take aim at specific candidates.
..."
• (2022-09-19, https://newrepublic.com/article/167635/stephen-miller-trump-legal-nonprofit-biden-agenda) "Stephen Miller Spent the Trump Years Testing the Bounds of Executive Authority.
Now He's Testing the Legal System.
The former White House adviser has a new nonprofit dedicated to hindering Biden's agenda."
• (2022-10-22, https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2022/10/trump-aides-citizens-for-sanity-anti-immigrant-ads/) "A Group of Former Trump Aides Is Behind Racist and False Anti-Immigrant Ads.
And they're connected to Stephen Miller's legal organization." Baseball fans in California and Pennsylvania watching the playoffs last Saturday had to sit through commercial breaks that included racist, xenophobic ads filled with misleading and false claims.
"You worked hard for what you have," one of the ads says.
"Followed the rules, paid your taxes, saved and sacrificed for your piece of the American Dream, and now it is being stolen for you, stolen from your family, stolen from your children.
Joe Biden and his fellow Democrats have erased our southern border, and they have released a record number of illegal immigrants into the United States, all at your expense.
This giant flood of illegal immigration is draining your paychecks, wrecking your schools, ruining your hospitals, and threatening your family." Behind the ads is a group called Citizens for Sanity, which vows on its website to "return common sense to America" and defeat "wokeism." In the lead-up to the midterms, the organization has been paying for virulent televised messages and billboards targeting President Joe Biden and Democratic candidates running in contested senate races.
Among the group's officers are three former Trump aides who now work with America First Legal (AFL), an organization founded by anti-immigration hardliner Stephen Miller that brands itself as an "answer to the ACLU" and has sued the Biden administration over everything under the sun.
A Federal Communications Commission document analyzed by OpenSecrets shows the ex-Trump staffers - Gene Hamilton, John Zadrozny, and Ian Prior - listed as "chief executive officers or members of the executive committee or board of directors" of Citizens for Sanity.
Hamilton, AFL's vice president and general counsel, held positions in the Departments of Homeland Security and Justice and has been credited as the architect of the effort to end Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).
Zadrozny, now a deputy director of investigations with Miller's group, served as a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services official and previously worked for the anti-immigration Federation for American Immigration Reform.
Prior used to be a deputy director of public affairs in Trump's DOJ and is now a senior adviser at America First Legal, though he told OpenSecrets that Citizens for Sanity has no relationship with AFL.
Prior also leads Fight for Schools, a group out of Loudon County in Virginia that opposes critical race theory. ...
• (2022-11-01, https://truthout.org/articles/stephen-miller-run-group-airs-anti-trans-white-nationalist-political-ads/) "Stephen Miller-Run Group Airs Anti-Trans & White Nationalist Political Ads." A series of political ads from two far right groups have aired in battleground states across the country in the final week of the 2022 midterm season (2022-11), featuring false and incendiary rhetoric about gender-affirming care for trans children, and supposed racism against white people.
The radio ads call on listeners with far right extremist views to vote against Democrats in next week (2022-11)'s elections, and include white nationalist and anti-LGBTQ dog whistles.
The two groups are airing ads in Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, Texas, Colorado, Michigan and Nevada, according to The New York Times.
Both groups have ties to former President Donald Trump.
"America First Legal" is a political action committee started by Stephen Miller, a former Trump advisor who helped craft numerous anti-immigrant policies while in the White House.
The second group, "Citizens for Sanity," includes among its board of directors at least three former Trump administration officials - Gene Hamilton, Ian Prior and John Zadrozny - who also have connections to America First Legal.
In one ad from America First Legal, a narrator accuses the Biden administration of engaging in "anti-white bigotry." The ad makes false claims about President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris giving preferential treatment to nonwhite businesses and placing people of color ahead of white residents when it comes to coronavirus vaccines and treatments - claims that have been widely debunked by fact-checking websites, according to Politico.
"When did racism against white people become okay?" the narrator asks.
Another series of ads from the organization spreads lies about gender-affirming care for transgender children in order to shock and enrage listeners, accusing Biden and Democrats of wanting to "remove breasts and genitals" of children.
The ads also claim that left-leaning politicians are "pushing girls to take testosterone so they grow facial hair." The ads from Citizens for Sanity pushed similar lies, falsely stating that gender-affirming care for trans kids is irreversible and results in sterilization.
In reality, no one is pushing children into receiving gender-affirming care against their will - and most types of gender-affirming care for trans children simply involve therapy, with some children being allowed to use safe, reversible puberty-blocking medication with their doctor's approval in order to offset unwanted changes in their bodies.
Medical guidelines also state that trans children should not have surgery on their genitals to coincide with gender-affirming care, contrary to what the ads claim.
Stephen Miller is no stranger to pushing unfounded and bigoted ideals.
While working in the Trump White House, he encouraged right-wing media to publish stories about the "great replacement" theory, an errant idea among white nationalists that global elites are seeking to saturate countries that have historically had a majority white population with a majority of people of color.
Stephen Miller was also the architect of many racist Trump administration policies, including the child separation policy for immigrants at the U.S.-Mexico border as well as the ban on travelers from Muslim-majority countries that was introduced early on in Trump's tenure.
"Through the conscious use of fearmongering and xenophobia, Stephen Miller implemented policies which demonize immigrants, regardless of their immigration status, in an apparent effort to halt all forms of immigration to the United States," the Southern Poverty Law Center says in their profile of Stephen Miller.
• (2022-11-03, https://www.npr.org/2022/11/03/N/right-wing-groups-spend-millions-dollars-ads-anti-transgender-kids) "Right-wing groups spend millions of dollars on ads targeting transgender kids." Ahead of Election Day in the high-stakes 2022 midterm elections, right-wing groups have spent tens of millions of dollars on anti-transgender ads in battleground states.
America First Legal, an organization launched by former Donald Trump aide Stephen Miller, is behind many of the political ads targeting transgender kids that have run in at least 25 states.
Research from the Human Rights Campaign indicates that "a significant portion" of the ad spending has been directed toward Black and Spanish-speaking voters through radio, mail, TV and digital means.
America First Legal spent $4 million to get its ads on Black and Spanish-language radio in Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Texas, according to the Human Rights Campaign.
The narrator of an America First Legal radio ad accuses President Biden of pushing children to take cross-sex hormone medication and get gender-affirming surgery. ... Citizens for Sanity, another group formed by former Trump administration aides, spent $20 million on TV ads in Arizona, Georgia, Nevada and Pennsylvania that focus on illegal immigration, crime and other issues.
Both America First Legal and Citizens for Sanity do not make any mention of candidates running for office in their ads.
Polling shows that transgender-related issues are not typically a top priority for voters, but controversies surrounding transgender athletes competing in women's sports have made headlines this year. ...
• (2022-12-01, https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2022/12/tax-returns-reveal-finances-of-former-trump-aides-dark-money-group-bankrolling-divisive-ads-ahead-of-2022-midterms) "Tax returns reveal finances of former Trump aides' 'dark money' group bankrolling divisive ads ahead of 2022 midterms." The America First Legal Foundation, a "dark money" group connected to officials in former President Donald Trump's administration that bankrolled provocative ads ahead of 2022 midterms, raised more than $6.3 million during its first year in operation, a new OpenSecrets analysis of tax filings found.
Former Trump White House official Stephen Miller launched America First Legal with the intention of using the legal system to challenge President Joe Biden's agenda.
Multiple former Trump officials are on America First Legal's board of directors or in leadership positions, including Stephen Miller, Gene Hamilton, John Zadrozny, Ian Prior and former Trump White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows. ... America First Legal filed dozens of FOIA lawsuits requesting government records on critical race theory in public schools, online censorship and immigration policies.
In 2021, America First Legal filed a class-action lawsuit claiming Biden's distribution of stimulus funds earmarked for "socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers" illegally discriminated against white people.
Last week (2022-11) America First Legal filed a federal lawsuit accusing an Ohio school district of violating Title IX protections of students and infringing on parental rights for allowing students to use bathrooms in line with their gender identity.
America First Legal also recently filed an amicus brief urging the Supreme Court to rule that Title VI prohibits any consideration of race in college admissions processes.
But America First Legal has done more than file lawsuits.
Ahead of 2022 midterm elections, America First Legal bankrolled divisive ads effectively trying to pit non-white communities against each other. ... A 501(c)(4) nonprofit run by some of the same former Trump officials as America First Legal, Citizens for Sanity, ran similar ads ahead of the midterms.
Ian Prior, a strategic consultant to Citizens for Sanity and senior adviser to America First Legal, previously told OpenSecrets that Citizens for Sanity has "no relationship with America First Legal" but declined to comment further. ... America First Legal ended 2021 with $4.3 million, having spent about $2.1 million of the $6.3 million raised, tax returns reviewed by OpenSecrets show.
A grant from the Conservative Partnership Institute, a hub whose leaders include Meadows and former Trump lawyer Cleta Mitchell, accounted for about $1 million of that, 2021 tax records first reported by Sludge show.
The Conservative Partnership Institute's connections to America First Legal were not limited to funding.
Multiple individuals affiliated with the Conservative Partnership Institute also serve on America First Legal's board of directors, including Conservative Partnership Institute President Edward Corrigan and Meadows, according to state charitable records filed 2022-03.
America First Legal's highest paid fundraiser was Bluebonnet Fundraising LLC, a firm founded by Caroline Wren, a top fundraiser for Trump's campaign who was listed as a "VIP Advisor" on the permit granted by the National Park Service for the rally that preceded the Capitol attack on 2021-01-06.
Tax records show Bluebonnet Fundraising LLC provided fundraising consulting and helped raise $470,000 for America First Legal in 2021.
The firm retained 10% of the funds raised.
Trump Victory paid BlueBonnet Fundraising LLC more than $590,000 during the 2020 election cycle.
America First Legal paid about $193,000 in total compensation to Gene Hamilton, who served as vice president, general counsel and secretary.
In addition to paying Matthew Whitaker a $175,000 salary, the group paid about $135,000 more to Hacker Stephens LLP, Miller's law firm, for legal services. ...
• (2023-03-30, https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2023/03/obamacare-preventative-care-reed-oconnor/) "A Federal Judge Just Struck Down Obamacare's Prevention Treatments.
Access to cancer screenings, HIV drugs, and prenatal services could become a lot more expensive." A federal district court judge in Texas has gutted a core healthcare protection that Americans have enjoyed for more than a decade: a government mandate guaranteeing cost-free preventative services.
Under the ruling, cancer screenings, pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for preventing HIV, and care for pregnant people may soon become a lot more expensive. ... Judge Reed O'Connor - a George W. Bush appointee - ruled Thursday (2023-03-30) that the preventative care mandate is unconstitutional.
Under the decision, the list of services that could become out of reach for many people is long, and, aside from the latest recommendations on life-saving cancer screenings, HIV prevention, and prenatal care, also includes physical therapy for the elderly, Type 2 diabetes screening, smoking cessation, childhood vision tests, among other medical interventions.
Reed O'Connor's opinion finds that the task force that decides which services and medications fall under the preventative care requirement violates the Constitution.
He also found that employers have a religious right to deny their employees coverage of PrEP if it violates their religious beliefs.
In this case, plaintiff and GOP megadonor Steven Hotze wants to deny his employees the drugs because he believes that protecting them from HIV encourages sexual interactions he doesn't like.
Several other plaintiffs are individuals who want to purchase insurance that does not cover contraception or PrEP drugs. ... Lawyer Jonathan Mitchell - the architect of Texas' bounty hunter-enforced abortion ban - brought this case.
Jonathan Mitchell also brought a case before Reed O'Connor in which the judge green lit LGBTQ discrimination by private businesses, using the same plaintiff - the company owned by Steven Hotze - in that case as in today (2023-03-30)'s Obamacare case.
Jonathan Mitchell also appears to have used a repeat plaintiff - Ashley Maxwell of Hood County, Texas - in the Obamacare case, after using her in a case that sought to enforce his abortion ban.
In both today (2023-03-30)'s case and his abortion ban case, Jonathan Mitchell teamed up with America First Legal Foundation - a group run by former Trump administration adviser Stephen Miller.
The nexus illustrates the tactics the modern conservative legal project is using to accomplish its longstanding goals of stripping rights from disadvantaged communities and forcing pregnant people to give birth.
By waging war on Obamacare, it is, at the same time, cruelly stripping away resources that help ensure pregnancies are healthy and affordable.