We Don’t Talk About Leonard: The Man Behind the Right’s Supreme Court Supermajority

ProPublica's investigation into Leonard Leo demonstrates strong investigative journalism with named sourcing, documentary evidence (tax filings, court records, emails), and interviews with 100+ people across the legal ecosystem. The reporting is substantive and contextual, tracing Leo's career arc, funding networks, and judicial strategy with specificity—the Maine party scene, the $1.6 billion trust, the Federalist Society's growth, and named judges whose careers benefited from Leo's patronage. The framing is critical but factual; while the headline's tone is pointed and the article emphasizes Leo's outsized influence and cultural ambitions with language like 'progressive Ku Klux Klan,' the underlying reporting presents documented actions, legal strategies, and financial trails rather than speculation. Readers should note the article's reliance on anonymous sources (many requesting anonymity for fear of losing access to funders) and Leo's refusal to answer questions about finances and Supreme Court relationships—both important context for assessing what remains unreported—though ProPublica's decision to decline conditional access is editorially sound and disclosed transparently.