Liberty Central was a non-profit
conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...
political advocacy group founded in 2009 by
Virginia Thomas, the wife of
U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice
Clarence Thomas
Clarence Thomas (born June 23, 1948) is an American jurist who serves as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. He was nominated by President George H. W. Bush to succeed Thurgood Marshall and has served since 19 ...
, and
Leonard Leo. Virginia Thomas was the president and CEO.
The group ceased operations in 2012.
Mission
Its declared purpose was stated on its website as "America's Public Square. We Listen. We Inspire. We Activate ... to secure the blessings of liberty."
The organization was promoted at the 2010
Conservative Political Action Conference
The Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC; ) is an annual political conference attended by conservative activists and elected officials from across the United States and beyond. CPAC is hosted by the American Conservative Union (ACU) ...
as "an online community for those seeking to "preserve freedom and reaffirm the core founding principles."
, a prominent conservative blogger who runs
Hotair.com, said the Liberty Central site would provide education in history and the Constitution for tea party activists.
Funding
The group was founded with
seed money of $550,000 coming from two donors whose names were undisclosed.
In a February 2011 article, ''
Politico
''Politico'' (stylized in all caps), known originally as ''The Politico'', is an American, German-owned political journalism newspaper company based in Arlington County, Virginia, that covers politics and policy in the United States and intern ...
'' reported that the initial $500,000 contribution came from Dallas real estate investor and conservative philanthropist
Harlan Crow
Harlan Rogers Crow (born 1949) is an American real estate developer from Dallas, Texas.
Early life
Harlan Crow was born in Dallas, the third son of Margaret Doggett Crow and real estate developer Trammell Crow. He has four brothers and one si ...
.
Activities
Liberty Central activities have included hosting a live web cast on October 20, 2010, in conjunction with the
Family Research Council to protest the January 2011 expiration of tax cuts that were passed in 2001 and 2003.
According to
United Press International
United Press International (UPI) is an American international news agency whose newswires, photo, news film, and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations for most of the ...
, the Liberty Central group has been highly critical of U.S. President
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, Obama was the first Af ...
.
Criticism
Thomas has been criticized for her involvement in Liberty Central because someone who contributes to the group may have a case before the Supreme Court.
However, there is no law limiting what Thomas can do, and according to some legal experts Supreme Court Justices are not required to
recuse themselves from cases where they may have a
conflict of interest.
On October 21, 2010, Thomas was specifically criticized for taking a position, via Liberty Central, on an issue that was likely to come before the Supreme Court - whether the
2010 health care legislation was unconstitutional.
A memo signed by Thomas that called for the repeal of the law and that was posted on the Liberty Central website was removed following the criticism. A Liberty Central spokesperson explained that Thomas had not personally reviewed the memo and that it been mistakenly approved by a staff member, and had been circulated by another group, the Conservative Action Project.
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Liberty Central
Organizations established in 2009
Non-profit organizations based in Washington, D.C.
Political organizations based in the United States
Tea Party movement
501(c)(4) nonprofit organizations
Conservative organizations in the United States