Conservative activist Leonard Leo, a key figure in reshaping the U.S. legal system through the conservative movement, is now leading a $1 billion campaign aimed at “crushing liberal dominance” in corporate America, as well as in the media and entertainment industries. Leo, who played a significant role in shifting the Supreme Court rightward during Donald Trump’s presidency, announced that his non-profit organization, the Marble Freedom Trust, is ready to challenge both government institutions and the private sector.
“We need to crush liberal dominance where it’s most insidious, so we’ll direct resources to build talent and capital formation pipelines in the areas of news and entertainment, where leftwing extremism is most evident,” Leo told the Financial Times. “Expect us to increase support for organizations that call out companies and financial institutions that bend to the woke mind virus spread by regulators and NGOs so that they have to pay a price for putting extreme leftwing ideology ahead of consumers.”
In the coming year, Leo plans to invest in a local U.S. media company, although he has not yet selected which one. Additionally, he’s fostering conservative networks through entities like Teneo Network, a nationwide organization with chapters in various states.
Leo is a lawyer and political consultant with strong connections to conservative advocacy, especially in the judicial nomination process. Through his involvement with the Federalist Society, a leading legal organization that promotes originalism and textualism in judicial interpretation, he has been instrumental in recommending and advancing conservative judges for federal courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court.
Leo’s influence was especially prominent during the presidencies of George W. Bush and Donald Trump. Under Trump, he played a key role in the confirmation of three Supreme Court Justices—Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett—cementing a conservative majority on the court. In addition to his work with the Federalist Society, Leo has been active in conservative political advocacy through his ties to various organizations that champion conservative legal principles. “The political environment is more topsy-turvy and more uncertain than it’s ever been in my lifetime,” Leo explained. “Political investing is not as good a bet as it used to be.”
After Trump’s defeat in 2020, Leo scaled back his day-to-day involvement with the Federalist Society but remained as co-chair. The following year, he founded Marble, with significant backing of $1.6 billion from Barre Seid, a prominent figure in electronic device manufacturing. Leo’s goal with Marble was to counter what he termed as the “dark money” of the left, he told the Financial Times. In its first three years, Marble reportedly spent approximately $600 million, according to public records. Leo told the outlet that his objective was to discover “very leveraged, impactful ways of reintroducing limited constitutional government and a civil society premised on freedom and personal responsibility and the virtues of Western civilization.”
The $1 billion initiative now advances the conservative agenda by targeting private institutions. It opposes diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, challenges climate and social considerations in investments, and addresses the “debanking” of politically conservative customers. This effort also extends to the public sector.