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.
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]
en.wikipedia.org
Thomas J. Fitton is an American
conservative activist and the president of
Judicial Watch.
Fitton is a long-term senior member of the
Council for National Policy, a right wing umbrella organization for groups such as Judicial Watch.
[1] Fitton is the current President of the Council for National Policy, taking up the role in February 2022.
[2]
Fitton is known for pro-Trump commentary.
[3] Fitton is prominent for criticizing
Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into alleged
Russian interference in the
2016 United States presidential election; he has said that the investigation was a "coup" against U.S. President
Donald Trump and called for it to be shut down.
[4][5] In 2022, researchers found that Fitton was the third-most prolific purveyor of election misinformation on Twitter during the late months of 2020.
[6]
Fitton
rejects the
scientific consensus on climate change; under his tenure, Judicial Watch has filed lawsuits against
climate scientists.
[7][8]
Thomas J. Fitton is an American conservative activist and the president of Judicial Watch.
Fitton is a long-term senior member of the Council for National Policy, a right wing umbrella organization for groups such as Judicial Watch.[1] Fitton is the current President of the Council for National Policy, taking up the role in February 2022.[2]
Fitton is known for pro-Trump commentary.[3] Fitton is prominent for criticizing Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into alleged Russian interference in the 2016 United States presidential election; he has said that the investigation was a "coup" against U.S. President Donald Trump and called for it to be shut down.[4][5] In 2022, researchers found that Fitton was the third-most prolific purveyor of election misinformation on Twitter during the late months of 2020.[6]
Fitton rejects the scientific consensus on climate change; under his tenure, Judicial Watch has filed lawsuits against climate scientists.[7][8]
Early life
Fitton was born in West Nyack, New York, in 1968.[9] He graduated from Clarkstown High School South in 1986.[10] Fitton has a bachelor's degree in English from George Washington University.[11] His father was a manager at a supermarket and his mother was a nurse.[12]
en.wikipedia.org
The previous president of Judicial Watch:
Following Klayman's behavior in a 1992 trial in California federal court, Judge
William Duffy Keller barred him from his courtroom for life. Five years later, in a separate case in New York, Klayman's behavior led District Judge
Denny Chin to issue a lifetime ban on the attorney practicing law before him.
[30]
In 2007, Klayman received a $25,000 retainer from a
Daytona Beach woman facing criminal charges who accused him of not providing legal services in return.
[31] The Florida Bar mediated the matter, and Klayman agreed to pay off a small portion within 90 days, but after the deadline lapsed, he was reprimanded.
[32][33]
In 2014, Klayman agreed to be publicly censured by the
D.C. Bar. Klayman represented three individuals who had sued
Judicial Watch, his former employer and client, but failed to obtain Judicial Watch's consent to waive his conflict of interest. Klayman maintained that the bar had "recognized there was no evidence of dishonesty or personal gain."
[34] The
D.C. Court of Appeals, which supervises the D.C. Bar, in 2020 instead suspended Klayman's license for 90 days and ordered him to complete a class on legal ethics.
[35][36] Klayman sued
Politico for defamation over
its coverage of his suspension.
[37] In 2021, the
D.C. Circuit Court also suspended Klayman's ability to practice before it for 90 days over this matter; it also referred him to one of its committees to determine whether further discipline is warranted.
[38]
An October 2016 opinion by a
Ninth Circuit Court on Klayman's attempt to represent
Cliven Bundy noted 12 cases "in which Klayman's ability to practice law in an ethical and orderly manner was called into question."
[15]
In 2018, Klayman unsuccessfully sued the District of Columbia Bar and some of its employees by alleging they were conspiring to disbar him. Klayman's lawsuit acknowledged three disciplinary actions then pending against him: the Judicial Watch matter already mentioned, Klayman's attempts to represent Bundy, and a complaint on his representation of a sexual-harassment plaintiff.
[39]
With respect to the last complaint, the D.C. Court of Appeals in 2022 ruled Klayman had committed six ethical violations related to his representation of a client.
[40] The D.C. Court of Appeals suspended Klayman's license to practice law for 18 months and imposed a requirement that he prove his fitness to practice law before his license could be reinstated.
[40] In light of this suspension, the D.C. Circuit Court in 2023 also imposed reciprocal discipline for 18 months.
[41]
en.wikipedia.org