Today, the Supreme Court of the United States will hear oral arguments for Moyle v. United States, which will determine whether federal law—the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA)—is able to supersede a state’s abortion restriction or ban in order to perform medically necessary abortions.
“When Roe was overturned, we knew it was just the beginning of the far-right’s attacks against abortion and reproductive rights,” said Tiffany Muller, President of End Citizens United. “The flurry of attacks by the GOP and their outside groups will not rest until abortions are banned nationwide, with no exceptions or caveats. To be crystal clear, these cases—especially Moyle v. United States—will kill women. By refusing to allow doctors to do their jobs, especially in the event of an emergency, Leonard Leo and his dark money cronies are putting millions of peoples’ lives at risk.”
The recent attacks on abortion and the erosion of campaign finance laws are intrinsically linked. After the Roe decision in 1973, right-wing groups set out to become more influential in Republican primaries because it would allow them to install anti-choice conservatives throughout the judiciary. Their goal was to outspend the party establishment, but the biggest impediments were campaign finance laws that limited anti-abortion outside groups from spending unlimited and undisclosed money. This led to a major focus on gutting campaign finance and anti-corruption laws. Doing so allowed ultra-conservative PACs to shift power from establishment moderates to social conservatives. This launched a decades-long fight that culminated in 2010 with the Citizens United decision.
Justice Clarence Thomas has been showered in lavish gifts and money by billionaires connected to conservative kingpin Leonard Leo, all of which were unreported until bombshell revelations over the summer. Leo has deep connections to the case—all the way back to when it was first brought in Idaho by Attorney General Raúl Labrador, who is a member of the Republican Attorneys General Association (RAGA). Leo’s Concord Fund is RAGA’s largest donor, giving $7 million to the organization since 2020 and Leo directly contributed to Labrador’s campaign. Tyler Green, one of the partners of the law firm representing Moyle, is one of only three trustees listed for the Marble Freedom Trust—a $1.6 billion trust given to Leonard Leo in 2020 by anti-abortion billionaire Barre Seid. Additionally, 29 anti-abortion groups jointly submitted an amicus brief in support of banning emergency abortions, some of which also have direct financial ties to Leonard Leo.
For a complete list of exposés detailing corruption and the justices’ financial conflicts of interests, click here.
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