Leonard Leo: Hero of the Faith and of the Republic

Sitting on Leonard Leo’s always immaculate desk—because he does not allow a piece of paper to linger more than once before handling—sits a bent, titanium rod. It reminds him of what a bad day is really like. 

The rod had been inserted into his daughter Margaret’s back, along her spine, to keep her spine from bending even more than what spina bifida had already caused. Her spine bent the rod, material used in aircraft engines. So, after Margaret passed away years ago, he kept the rod. It sits on his always immaculate desk. 

You cannot say that Leonard has never had a bad day. Certainly, the day Margaret passed unexpectedly at an achingly young age was a bad day. They always knew it would probably happen, but they didn’t think it would happen that particular morning. 

Miracles surrounded Margaret’s passing, but we won’t go into those today. Other miracles have happened around her father, around us—most especially the overturning of Roe v. Wade.  The rod had been inserted into his daughter Margaret’s back, along her spine, to keep her spine from bending even more than what spina bifida had already caused. Her spine bent the rod…Tweet This

Roe v. Wade was like the Soviet Union, this massive thing that no one ever thought would crumble. We worked around it, passing state laws and laws in Congress that might limit it. We spent decades educating our fellow Americans, turning women around who were standing on the threshold of disaster. We worked to elect U.S. Senators who might, just might, vote for judges and justices who might, just might do something, anything, about the abomination that was Roe. But we figured Roe would be a fact of our lives for as long as we live; and maybe, just maybe, well into the future, something would happen—perhaps it would be chipped away; one day, it may disappear. 

And then it went poof. I remember the night the Berlin Wall began to fall. And all of us remember the day Dobbs gave the boot to Roe.

One man, his colleagues, friends, and donors knew that day could come, but only if the entire judicial regime changed, especially with the law schools, professors, and students. The idea was to inculcate a proper understanding of the Constitution, which may have been written long ago for farmers and adventurers but contains within it certain principles that can also guide us today. Besides reestablishing a proper understanding of constitutional principles, the idea was to create a network of lawyers, professors, judges, and justices with the same understanding. Leonard Leo would call this “preparing the ground.” 

Leonard did not found the much-maligned Federalist Society. He joined as a college student. And the idea of recreating the schools and the courts was not his. But, for many years, he led this effort; and one day, Roe went poof. Poof makes it sound like it was easy or that it would have happened no matter what, but that is not true. It took decades of planning and, most importantly, execution. 

Some call the current Supreme Court the Leonard Leo Court. Leonard never would. In recent months, stories have been nearly nonstop about Leonard’s influence on law schools, courts, the High Court, the country, and the world. There was one on the front page of The Wall Street Journal recently. Leonard does not court that kind of praise, not even remotely. 

He would say you begin with principles and a clear mission; you find small platoons of like-minded people you’d like to be in foxholes with and build relationships. He says this is what happened at the Federalist Society. And now, Leonard has been handed $1.6 billion to make that happen in other fields, what he calls “choke points” that can work to “crush liberal dominance.” 

He says the $1.6 billion Barre Seid gave him control of is not a gift; “it is a cross.” Barre Seid has put Leonard in charge of everything he ever made, considered to be the largest donation of its kind ever made. Leonard intends to spend it in much the same way the Federalist Society was built. 

He mentions something called the Wonder Project, a Jewish initiative that produced the newly released House of David, a biblical epic about the rise of David from shepherd to king. Leo says the Hollywood business model is broken; therefore, significant opportunities exist for people with the talent and vision for better entertainment. Think of Angel Studios. Think of three-year-old Sycamore Studios, which makes children’s animation promoting the good, the true, and the beautiful. 

Leonard says the pro-life movement is in the worst shape it has ever been in. This was not unexpected after the surprise win in Dobbs. Everything returned to the states, and the pro-life movement was not prepared. Even pro-life states are voting for abortion protections far worse than what Roe v. Wade gave us. Leonard is funding an initiative to revitalize the movement, clarify the vision and mission, and rebuild little platoons. 

The Left hates Leonard. That is a given. Senator Whitehouse goes on and on about Leonard’s “dark money.” Leonard points out that anonymous donations have funded history-making initiatives from the founding of our republic to today. Not all donors want credit. Many want the cause to stand or fall on its merits and not on the donor’s name. 

In recent days, Donald Trump has turned on Leonard. He regrettably called Leonard “a sleazebag.” I suspect this may have something to do with all the credit that Leonard’s enemies and friends have given him for the many successes at the Supreme Court, credit that Leonard has not sought. Moreover, certain parts of the federal judiciary have declared war on the Trump agenda. Leonard points out that more nationwide injunctions have been issued against Trump than any other president, by far. Maybe Trump blames the Federalist Society and Leonard for some of that. 

Leonard Leo is a faithful Catholic who goes to Mass every day. He says the Rosary every day. He tries to live in the presence of God throughout the day. This is the thing that motivates him every day to move every piece of paper off his desk, to answer every email as soon as it comes in, and to find friends to change history. 

Margaret Leo, pray for us. 

*C-Fam, the human rights organization I run, has never received money from Leonard Leo, though we have benefited from his advice and counsel.