Jim Bopp Jr. on campaign finance, the Supreme Court, and rule of law

Jim Bopp Jr. has argued 14 cases before the U.S. Supreme Court, sued 45 states, and built one of the most unconventional legal careers in American conservative jurisprudence, all from Terre Haute. In this conversation with host Maura Johnson, Bopp traces his path from organizing high school students for Barry Goldwater in 1964 to becoming general counsel for the National Right to Life Committee, a role he has held since 1978. Bopp discusses how his high school and collegiate debate experience shaped his approach to advocacy, why he believes understanding both sides of an argument is essential to sound legal reasoning, and how he structured his firm to prioritize pro bono work over billable hours. He also reflects on two cases that defined his career: a jury trial loss early on that taught him never to accept a client unwilling to fully commit to their own defense, and his 5-4 victory in Republican Party of Minnesota v. White, the first U.S. Supreme Court case to apply the First Amendment to judicial campaign ethics canons. The conversation closes with Bopp's definition of the rule of law, framed as the foundational distinction between governance by pre-established statute and governance by the unchecked will of whoever holds power. Jim Bopp Jr. is a constitutional and election law attorney based in Terre Haute and founder of Bopp Law Firm.