Leonard Leo, Co-Chairman of the Federalist Society, played a key role in building the Supreme Court's current 6-3 conservative majority. Pool\/Getty Images hide caption <\/p>\n
Leonard Leo, Co-Chairman of the Federalist Society, played a key role in building the Supreme Court's current 6-3 conservative majority.<\/p>\n
As soon as Thursday, the Supreme Court could rule on Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization. A leaked draft opinion in that case showed a majority of justices agreeing to overturn Roe v. Wade, which would end the constitutional right to an abortion. <\/p>\n
However the court rules, this moment is the culmination of a decades-long effort by conservative activists around the country. One man in particular has played an outsized role in that effort: Leonard Leo, Co-Chairman of the Federalist Society. He's devoted his career to getting conservatives appointed to the country's most powerful courts.<\/p>\n
We look at how he came to have so much sway.<\/p>\n
In this episode, you'll hear excerpts from the interview NPR's Deirdre Walsh conducted with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. <\/p>\n
In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment to help you make sense of what's going on in your community.<\/p>\n
Email us at considerthis@npr.org<\/a>. <\/p>\n This episode was produced by Connor Donevan and Jonaki Mehta. It was edited by Bridget Kelley, Courtney Dorning and Krishnadev Calamur. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Read more: <\/p>\n Meet The Man Who Helped Build The Court That May Overturn Roe : Consider This from NPR - NPR<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Leonard Leo, Co-Chairman of the Federalist Society, played a key role in building the Supreme Court's current 6-3 conservative majority. Pool\/Getty Images hide caption Leonard Leo, Co-Chairman of the Federalist Society, played a key role in building the Supreme Court's current 6-3 conservative majority. Continue reading