Judicial Watch
Judicial Watch (JW) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit[1] American conservative activist group[2] that files Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuits to investigate claimed misconduct by government officials. Founded in 1994, JW has primarily targeted Democrats, in particular the administrations of Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, as well as Hillary Clinton's role in them. It was founded by attorney Larry Klayman, and has been led by Tom Fitton since 2003.
Formation
The organization has filed lawsuits against government climate scientists. JW has made numerous false and unsubstantiated claims that have been picked up by right-wing news outlets and promoted by conservative figures. Former U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly cited false claims by Judicial Watch about voter fraud. Various courts have dismissed the vast majority of its lawsuits.[3]
Larry Klayman lawsuits[edit]
In 2003, Judicial Watch founder Larry Klayman left the organization to run for the United States Senate from Florida.[75] In 2006, Klayman sued Judicial Watch and its president, Tom Fitton. Judicial Watch asserted several claims against Klayman as well; in 2019, Judicial Watch obtained a $2.8 million verdict against Klayman on its claims of breaches of the severance agreement and trademark infringement.[76]
In 2012, a Judicial Watch employee falsely told Orly Taitz that Klayman had been convicted of not paying child support (Klayman had been indicted, but the charges were later dismissed). Taitz then published the employee's comment on her website. Klayman sued Judicial Watch for defamation, and in 2014, a federal jury awarded Klayman $156,000 in compensatory damages and $25,000 in punitive damages.[77]
In 2017, Freedom Watch (Klayman's successor organization to Judicial Watch) unsuccessfully sued Judicial Watch and the American Conservative Union (ACU), alleging they violated the Sherman Act by colluding to prevent Freedom Watch from participating at the ACU's Conservative Political Action Conference.[78]
Klayman had represented three individuals who sued Judicial Watch, his former employer and client, but he failed to obtain Judicial Watch's consent to waive his conflict of interest. Klayman maintained that the D.C. Bar had "recognized there was no evidence of dishonesty or personal gain".[79] In 2020, however, the D.C. Court of Appeals suspended Klayman's license for 90 days and ordered him to complete a class on legal ethics.[80]
Peter Paul lawsuit[edit]
In 2007 former donor Peter F. Paul sued Judicial Watch, accusing it of using his name to raise more than $15 million to support his lawsuit against Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton while doing little to advance his case.[81][82][83] All of Paul's claims were dismissed.[84]
Funding[edit]
As of 2016, Judicial Watch had an annual budget of about $35 million.[2] Between 1997 and 2002 Judicial Watch received $7,069,500 in 19 grants from a handful of foundations. The bulk of this funding came from three foundations: the Sarah Scaife Foundation, a funder of politically conservative causes;[85] The Carthage Foundation, which merged into the Sarah Scaife Foundation in 2014;[86] and the John M. Olin Foundation, Inc.[87] As of 2010, the Sarah Scaife Foundation was the group's largest contributor.[88]
