| Formation | 2011 |
|---|---|
| Type | 501(c)3 organization |
| 20-2466871 | |
| Headquarters | Washington, D.C. |
Region served | United States |
Key people | Leonard Leo |
| Affiliations | Concord Fund CRC Advisors |
Formerly called | Judicial Education Project |
| This article is part of a series on |
| Conservatism in the United States |
|---|
 |
The 85 Fund, also known as the Honest Elections Project, and formerly known as the Judicial Education Project,[1][2] is a 501(c)(3) organization based in Washington D.C. It is among a network of conservative organizations associated with Leonard Leo, a longtime prominent figure in the Federalist Society, that are funded mostly by anonymous donors. The 85 Fund had revenue of over $65 million in 2020 and, with the Concord Fund, acts as a funding hub for other organizations in the Leo network.[3][4]
As the Honest Elections Project, it participated in lawsuits during the 2020 United States presidential election and ran advertisements against mail-in voting.[5][6][1][7] It is a proponent of the independent state legislature theory that posits state legislatures have sole authority to establish and enforce state election laws and rules.[8][9] Leo has said that the fund-raising prowess of Arabella Advisors, a liberal consulting firm, was an inspiration for the 85 Fund to serve a similar function on the right.[2]
- ^ a b "Revealed: conservative group fighting to restrict voting tied to powerful dark money network". The Guardian. 2020-05-27. Retrieved 2020-10-25.
- ^ a b Swan, Jonathan. "Leonard Leo to shape new conservative network, step aside from the Federalist Society". Axios. Retrieved 2020-10-25.
- ^ Colby Itkowitz; Isaac Stanley-Becker (July 1, 2022). "Democracy advocates raise alarm after Supreme Court takes election case". The Washington Post.
- ^ Vogel, Kenneth P. (October 12, 2022). "Leonard Leo's Network Is Increasingly Powerful. But It Is Not Easy to Define". The New York Times.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
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:5was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Wang, Hansi Lo (August 12, 2022). "This conservative group helped push a disputed election theory". National Public Radio.