The Supreme Court Historical Society (SCHS) is a

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-based private, nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving and communicating the history of the

U.S. Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...

. The Society was founded in 1974 by U.S. Chief Justice

Warren E. Burger Warren Earl Burger (September 17, 1907 – June 25, 1995) was an American attorney and jurist who served as the 15th chief justice of the United States from 1969 to 1986. Born in Saint Paul, Minnesota, Burger graduated from the William Mitchell ...

, who acted as its first honorary chairman until his death in 1995. The Society publishes the ''Journal of Supreme Court History'' with

John Wiley & Sons John Wiley & Sons, Inc., commonly known as Wiley (), is an American multinational publishing company founded in 1807 that focuses on academic publishing and instructional materials. The company produces books, journals, and encyclopedias, in p ...

, and provides other educational materials.

Faith and Action influence scandal

In July 2022, Rev. Rob Schenck, former head of Faith and Action in the Nation's Capital, revealed the NPO's program of, "for about two decades, forging friendships with conservative justices to 'bolster' their views, particularly on

abortion Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. An abortion that occurs without intervention is known as a miscarriage or "spontaneous abortion"; these occur in approximately 30% to 40% of pregn ...

", finessed by donating to the Supreme Court Historical Society to obtain stealth opportunities to meet Supreme Court Justices. Schenck also alerted Chief Justice

John Roberts John Glover Roberts Jr. (born January 27, 1955) is an American lawyer and jurist who has served as the 17th chief justice of the United States since 2005. Roberts has authored the majority opinion in several landmark cases, including ''Nati ...

of the extensive operation, by letter, that same monmth. Access was integral to the "group’s extensive program to influence Justices

Thomas Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the Ap ...

, Alito and

Scalia Antonin Gregory Scalia (; March 11, 1936 – February 13, 2016) was an American jurist who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1986 until his death in 2016. He was described as the intellectua ...

through meals and entertainment", dubbed "Operation Higher Court". Schenck advised people attending the Historical Society annual dinner "see a Justice − boldly approach." He wrote "Your presence alone telegraphs a very important signal to the justices: Christians are concerned about the court and the issues that come before it." Schenck further advised that Justices were more likely to let their guard down at the annual dinners, because they trusted the attendees. In example, through their connection to the Historical Society,

Hobby Lobby Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc., formerly Hobby Lobby Creative Centers, is an American retail company. It owns a chain of arts and crafts stores with a volume of over $5 billion in 2018. The chain has 969 stores in 47 US states. Hobby Lobby is owned by ...

's owners attended a Christmas party in Supreme Court chambers shortly before litigation was initiated which would become

Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc. ''Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc.'', 573 U.S. 682 (2014), is a List of landmark court decisions in the United States, landmark decision in United States corporate law by the Supreme Court of the United States, United States Supreme Court allow ...

in 2014. On December 8, 2022, the

House Committee on the Judiciary The U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary, also called the House Judiciary Committee, is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives. It is charged with overseeing the administration of justice within the federal courts, a ...

convened a hearing to determine covert activity and influence on SCOTUS members by the Faith and Action group, entitled "Undue Influence: Operation Higher Court and Politicking at SCOTUS", chaired by

Jerrold Nadler Jerrold Lewis Nadler (; born June 13, 1947) is an American lawyer and politician who since 2013 has served as the U.S. representative for , which includes Manhattan's west side and parts of Brooklyn. A member of the Democratic Party, he is in ...

."Christian advocate tells Congress of 2014 U.S. Supreme Court leak"
Gram Slattery and Nate Raymond, ''Reuters''. December 8, 2022. Retrieved December 14, 2022.

References

External links

* * Supreme Court of the United States Organizations established in 1974 1974 establishments in Washington, D.C. Non-profit organizations based in Washington, D.C. Historical societies of the United States {{Nonprofit-org-stub