The Federalist Society: From Obscurity to Power

Membership in the Federalist Society has long served as a network for ultraconservative legal professionals to discuss political and legal strategy aimed at creating an "intellectual network that extends to all levels of the legal community."¹⁴⁰ While membership in the Federalist Society is probably a prerequisite for any law student who hopes to clerk for Supreme Court Justices Antonin Scalia or Clarence Thomas, it is increasingly becoming a pathway to a position within President George W. Bush's administration. The individuals listed below-who are members of or have strong affiliations with the Federalist Society-occupy, or have been nominated to, prominent positions in the Bush administration.¹⁴¹

Department of Justice

• John Ashcroft, Attorney General
  
• Larry Thompson, Deputy Attorney General
  
• Ted Olson, Solicitor General
  
• Viet Dinh, Assistant Attorney General for Legal Policy
  
• Thomas L. Sansonetti, Assistant Attorney General for Environment and Natural Resources
  
• Paul Clement, Principal Deputy Solicitor General
  
• R. Ted Cruz, Associate Deputy Attorney General
  
• Sarah V. Hart, Director, National Institute of Justice

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  Office of White House Counsel

  • Timothy Flanigan, Deputy Counsel
    
  • Brett Kavanaugh, Associate Counsel
    
  • Bradford Berenson, Associate Counsel
    
  • Noel Francisco, Assistant Counsel

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    Department of Energy

    • Spencer Abraham, Secretary
      
    • Lee Liberman Otis, General Counsel and a co-founder of one of the Society's oldest law school chapters

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      Department of the Interior

      • Gale Norton, Secretary

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        Department of Agriculture

        • James R. Moseley, Deputy Secretary
          
        • William H. Lash III, Assistant Secretary for Market Access and Compliance

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          Department of Education

          • Brian Jones, General Counsel
            
          • Gerald Reynolds, Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights

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            Department of Labor

            • Eugene Scalia, Solicitor of Labor Department of Defense
              
            • Joseph E. Schmitz, Inspector General

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              Department of Health and Human Services

              • Alex Azar III, General Counsel

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                State Department

                • John R. Bolton, Undersecretary for Arms Control and International Security Affairs

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                  General Services Administration

                  • Daniel Levinson, Inspector General Federal

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                    Judicial Nominees

                    • Paul G. Cassell, nominated to the U.S. District Court for the District of Utah
                      
                    • Edith Brown Clement, nominated to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
                      
                    • Deborah Cook, nominated to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit¹⁴²
                      
                    • Miguel Estrada, nominated to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
                      
                    • Harris L. Hartz, nominated to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
                      
                    • Carolyn B. Kuhl, nominated to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
                      
                    • Michael McConnell, nominated to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
                      
                    • Priscilla R. Owen, nominated to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
                      
                    • Jeffrey Sutton, nominated to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
                      
                    • Timothy M. Tymkovich, nominated to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit

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