U.S. President Donald Trump's candidate for Associate Justice, Brett Kavanaugh, won enough votes in the Senate and become a judge of the Federal Supreme Court. Thus, the Catholic conservatives obtained the majority in the court. Five members of the nine-member court are known as conservatives, whereas the other four are known as liberal. In this manner, the conservative Republicans, who think that they have been defeated in cultural wars aim to protect their power by having control over the Supreme Court.
For the approval of Kavanaugh, the Trumpists and the mainstream Republicans in the Senate were in an alliance. Former U.S. President George W. Bush was among those who actively supported Kavanaugh. Kavanaugh worked as Bush's chief of staff at the White House and was instrumental in bringing the conservatives to the post.
The group that was the least pleased with Kavanaugh's approval was the organization called the Federalist Society. The Federalist Society, founded in 1982 by lawyers studying at the universities of Yale and Chicago, represents a broad network of influence over the Republican Party. The Federalist Society was strengthened by the donations of the rich Republicans, especially the Koch Brothers and Robert Mercer family. The Mercers were among the financiers of Breitbart News, which is a radical right journal that supports Trump, and Steve Bannon.
The current power of the organization, which has 70,000 members, rose during the period of George Herbert Walker Bush and his son George W. Bush. All federal judges appointed during the presidency of Bush were either members of the Federalist Society or were approved by this group. It is claimed that the organization is also involved in the appointment of four out of five conservative members at Supreme Court. Neil Gorsuch, who was approved by Trump last year, was also recommended by the organization. In the U.S. media, it was claimed that Trump had agreed with the Federal Society with respect to judicial appointments before he was elected as the president of the U.S. According to this information, Trump's White House Judicial Adviser Don McGahn and Kavanaugh are friends from the Federalist Society.
The leading actor in all of these appointments is attorney Leonard Leo, the mysterious vice president of the Federalist Society. Leonard Leo, a radical, conservative Catholic of Italian origin, has influence over the Republican Party. It is claimed that Leo and McGahn prepared a list of 25 people, including Kavanaugh, and submitted it to Trump.
In the American media there are interesting claims about Leonard Leo. One of these claims was that Leo was a secret member of the Knights of Malta. The Knights of Malta is a military-religious organization that was established in Jerusalem during the Crusades. Following the recapture of Jerusalem by Saladin, the center of the organization first moved to Cyprus, then to Rhodes, and later to Malta. The conquest of Rhodes by the Ottomans inflicted a heavy blow on the organization. The center of the organization was transferred to Rome in the 19th century. The organization that has problems with Pope Francis currently also has an observer status in the UN. The Knights of Malta, which is governed by the Grand Master and has a semi-state status, has diplomatic ties with more than 100 countries.
The Knights of Malta, which has no representation in the United States, is claimed to be effective through secret members. Among the names of the members of the organization is Erik Prince, the founder of the private security company Blackwater, which is associated with a series of scandals in Iraq. Prince, the brother of Trump's Education Minister Betsy DeVos, came to the fore with the proposal to Trump that private security companies should replace U.S. troops in Afghanistan. Prince's project was prevented by Secretary of Defense James Mattis, White House Secretary-General John Kelly, and National Security Advisor General McMaster. At that time, Prince's ally at the White House was Trump's chief strategist Steve Bannon. The Knights of Malta, which argues that it is not involved in any act other than charity work, rejects secret member claims.
