"Dark Seid of the Courts" w/Andy Kroll, ProPublica Investigative Journalist

Have a comment? Send us a text! (We read all of them but can't reply). Email us: [email protected] Seid (pronounced “side”) and Leonard Leo are two names you likely have never heard of but is worth your time becoming familiar with. Mr. Seid was the former CEO of Tripp Lite, an electrical products manufacturer before donating a record $1.65 billion to a new conservative nonprofit led by Federalist Society co-chairman Leonard Leo. Mr. Leo was an integral part in shaping the conservative courts during the Trump administration, with over 200 Federalist Society appointees, and played a huge role in the Supreme Court’s super majority. This week we chat with Andy Kroll (investigative journalist with ProPublica) who broke this story, and we have him break down what all of this means for the courts in America. Here's the article we referenced: https://www.propublica.org/article/dark-money-leonard-leo-barre-seidGuest Bio:Andy Kroll is a reporter for ProPublica covering voting, elections and other democracy issues. He was previously the Washington bureau chief for Rolling Stone. His reporting there about a series of cyberattacks on congressional campaigns helped lead to the indictment of a California political operative. Before that, he was a senior reporter at Mother Jones, where his work on self-dealing during the Trump presidency sparked multiple congressional investigations. Earlier in his career, his investigation of a powerful law firm that profited from pushing borrowers out of their homes helped shut down the foreclosure mill and spurred Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to cut ties with similar foreclosure law firms across the country.In September, Kroll will publish his first book, “A Death on W Street: The Murder of Seth Rich and the Age of Conspiracy,” a true-crime investigation about U.S. politics, viral conspiracy theories and one family’s fight for truth. Support Sarah Stankorb’s work and preorder Damned If She Does: Why Women Quit Church and What It Means for the Future of Religion, Releases September 15, 2026.  Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/a/112456/9798889837091Website: https://www.sarahstankorb.com/Support the showKeep the conversation going.Want to learn more about Faithful Politics, suggest a future guest, or connect with us directly?Visit our website:faithfulpoliticspodcast.comBrowse our bookstore, featuring books from many of our guests:faithfulpoliticspodcast.com/bookstoreSupport the show and help us keep these conversations going:patreon.com/cw/FaithfulPoliticsSubscribe for behind-the-scenes content, reflections, and updates:faithfulpolitics.substack.comContact the hosts:Josh Burtram, Faithful Host: [email protected] Wright, Political Host: [email protected] Faithful Politics:Instagram: faithful_politicsFacebook: FaithfulPoliticsPodcast