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America First Legal
FormationApril 6, 2021; 3 years ago (2021-04-06)
FoundersStephen Miller
Type501(c)(3) nonprofit organization
86-2190372
PurposePublic interest law
Headquarters611 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, D.C., U.S.
Key people
Websiteaflegal.org Edit this at Wikidata

America First Legal (AFL) is an American 501(c)(3) nonprofit[1] conservative public interest organization founded in 2021.

Organization

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Leadership

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America First Legal is led by a president, vice president, and executive director. Stephen Miller, the former senior advisor to president Donald Trump, is the organization's founder and president. The vice president is Gene Hamilton, a Department of Justice official under Trump, and the executive director is Matthew Whitaker, the acting U.S. attorney general under Trump following Jeff Sessions's resignation.[2] America First Legal's board of directors includes Whitaker and former chief of staff for Trump, Mark Meadows.[3]

Positions

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America First Legal is a conservative legal entity that focuses on administrative law and executive overreach in response to litigation during the Trump administration, including legal challenges to the Trump travel ban, an attempt to ban TikTok, and barring migrants from seeking asylum.[3] The organization has filed lawsuits regarding diversity, equity, and inclusion,[4] Title 42 expulsions,[5] the First Amendment and social media services,[6] Title IX and transgender people,[7] and affirmative action.[8] In January 2023, the organization joined a lawsuit led by Texas attorney general Ken Paxton claiming a federal migrant parole program was unlawful.[9]

In October 2022, America First Legal sent flyers to voters in Colorado's 8th congressional district that were characterized as transphobic by the Latino Action Council.[10] During the 2022 elections, the organization became involved in legal efforts relating to claims of apparent voter fraud in the election.[11] Flyers obtained by The New York Times targeted Asian Americans with anti-affirmative action messaging.[12] America First Legal ran advertisements accusing the Biden administration of "anti-white bigotry", spending US$5 million on radio advertisements, second to the Senate Leadership Fund.[13] Following Trump's federal indictment on charges of retaining classified documents, the organization sent out fundraising emails.[14]

Until July 2024, America First Legal was a member of the advisory board of Project 2025, a collection of conservative and right-wing policy proposals from the Heritage Foundation to reshape the United States federal government and consolidate executive power should the Republican nominee win the 2024 presidential election.[15][16]

History

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In March 2021, Politico reported that Stephen Miller, the former senior advisor to president Donald Trump, began forming America First Legal after Trump's loss in the 2020 presidential election. According to Politico, Miller consulted the Conservative Partnership Institute and lawyer Ken Starr, who authored the Starr Report that led to the impeachment of Bill Clinton, and requested funding from Chicago Cubs co-owner Todd Ricketts.[3] Miller launched America First Legal on April 6, 2021.[17] The name refers to America First, an isolationist policy observed by the United States and reinterpreted by Trump as a political slogan.[18]

America First Legal represented white farmers in Texas who sought to undo debt relief for socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers as part of the American Rescue Plan Act.[19] In June 2021, judge Marcia Morales Howard issued a preliminary injunction halting the Department of Agriculture's loan program.[20] Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk ruled in America First Legal's favor in November 2022 that the Affordable Care Act does not prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.[21]

Political action committee Citizens for Sanity is run by America First Legal employees.[22]

References

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  1. ^ "America First Legal Foundation". projects.propublica.org. ProPublica. Retrieved November 4, 2024.
  2. ^ "America First Legal Foundation". ProPublica. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  3. ^ a b c Orr, Gabby (March 26, 2021). "Stephen Miller to launch a new legal group to give Biden fits". Politico. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  4. ^ Brooks, Khristopher (August 10, 2023). "Conservative groups are challenging corporate efforts to diversify workforce". CNN. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  5. ^ Montoya-Galvez, Camilo (August 2, 2021). "Lawsuit over migrant expulsions resumes after talks between U.S. and advocates collapse". CBS News. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  6. ^ Meyers, Steven; Frenkel, Sheera (June 19, 2023). "G.O.P. Targets Researchers Who Study Disinformation Ahead of 2024 Election". The New York Times. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  7. ^ Homans, Charles (August 5, 2023). "How a Sexual Assault in a School Bathroom Became a Political Weapon". The New York Times Magazine. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  8. ^ Liptak, Adam (May 23, 2022). "A Conservative Lawyer's New Target After Abortion: Affirmative Action". The New York Times. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  9. ^ Garcia, Armando; Owen, Quinn (January 25, 2023). "Texas, 19 other states sue Biden admin over migrant parole program". ABC News. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  10. ^ Abeyta, Michael (October 27, 2022). "Latino Action Council urges voters to seek information from reliable sources". CBS News. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  11. ^ "Election Day is Nov. 8, but legal challenges already begin". CBS News. October 27, 2022. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  12. ^ Qin, Amy (November 7, 2022). "Ads from conservative groups target Asian Americans". The New York Times. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  13. ^ Bender, Michael (November 1, 2022). "Inflammatory Radio Ads From 2 Trump-Aligned Groups Are Airing in Battleground States". The New York Times. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  14. ^ Shear, Michael (June 14, 2023). "In Legal Peril, Trump Tries to Shift the Spotlight to Biden". The New York Times. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  15. ^ Mascaro, Lisa (August 29, 2023). "Conservative Groups Draw Up Plan to Dismantle the US Government and Replace It with Trump's Vision". Associated Press News. Archived from the original on September 22, 2023. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
  16. ^ Musgrave, Shawn (July 17, 2024). "Conservative Organizations Are Quietly Scurrying Away From Project 2025". The Intercept. Retrieved July 22, 2024.
  17. ^ Kendall, Brent (April 7, 2021). "Stephen Miller's Next Act Finds a Stage in the Courts". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  18. ^ Churchwell, Sarah (September 9, 2022). "The 'American Dream'? 'America First' eclipses it". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  19. ^ Rappeport, Alan (May 19, 2021). "Banks Fight $4 Billion Debt Relief Plan for Black Farmers". The New York Times. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  20. ^ "Black U.S. farmers' struggle to get debt relief extends painful history soiled by racism". CBS News. September 1, 2021. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  21. ^ Reinhard, Beth; Dawsey, Josh (December 12, 2022). "How a Trump-allied group fighting 'anti-white bigotry' beats Biden in court". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  22. ^ Levine, Sam. "Musk's millions in rightwing gifts began earlier than previously known – report". theguardian.com. The Guardian.
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