Demand Justice PAC is a Super PAC affiliated with Demand Justice, a fiscally-sponsored project of the Sixteen Thirty Fund that battles right-of-center judicial nominees while supporting their left-of-center counterparts.

The PAC was established in October of 2020 after the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and the appointment of then-Judge Amy Coney Barrett by President Donald Trump to fill her seat. ¹ The PAC did not, however, make significant expenditures in the 2020 election, reporting less than $3,000 in expenditures. ²

Overview

Demand Justice PAC is affiliated with Demand Justice, a fiscally sponsored project of the Sixteen Thirty Fund that focuses on advancing liberalism in the nation’s federal court system. The Sixteen Thirty Fund is managed by Arabella Advisors, a for-profit consultancy firm in Washington, D.C. The Arabella Advisors network of organizations operates as a “dark money” conduit that allows left-of-center donors to provide funding for various left-of-center causes without having to reveal their identities or disclose their donations to specific organization. ³

The PAC was created in October 2020 after President Donald Trump nominated now-Supreme Court Associate Justice Amy Coney Barrett for the seat left vacant by the death of Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. ⁴ In a statement to Politico, Demand Justice executive director Brian Fallon said, “We want to ensure Republicans pay a price if they move forward with this nomination before the election.” ⁵

The PAC was already planned before Justice Ginsburg’s death and Justice Barrett’s nomination, but after Justice Ginsburg passed away, Demand Justice leadership decided to hasten the creation of the PAC. The PAC is created not just to attack conservative nominees to the Supreme Court but also to encourage Democrats to “fight back harder” against right-of-center policy. ⁶

Leadership

Brian Fallon, the executive director of Demand Justice, also works as the treasurer and the head of the PAC. Fallon is a graduate of Harvard University and a long-time Democratic operative.

Fallon began his career on former U.S. Senator John Kerry (D-MA)’s 2004 Presidential campaign as a press aide. In 2006, he became the campaign press secretary for U.S. Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ). Fallon then worked as a spokesperson for U.S. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY. In 2011, Fallon worked as a spokesperson for the Senate Democratic Policy and Communications Center. ⁷ In 2013, Fallon moved to the U.S. Department of Justice where he eventually became the Director of Public Affairs. ⁸

In 2016, Fallon was hired to be the spokesperson for Hillary Clinton’s Presidential campaign. Sen. Schumer responded to the appointment by calling Fallon “one of the smartest and most talented people who has ever worked for [him]” and claiming Fallon would “serve Hillary Clinton extremely well.” ⁹

After Hillary Clinton’s defeat, Fallon co-founded Demand Justice to defeat Republican court nominees and to support proposals like “court packing” by Democrats which would increase the number of justices on the Supreme Court. ¹⁰

Financials

As of November 2020, the Demand Justice PAC raised $51,373.51 and spent $2,037.74. ¹¹

In March 2021, the Demand Justice PAC spent $75,000 on digital ads supporting left-of-center candidates for Wisconsin circuit court races. The spending included $10,000 for Larisa Benitez-Morgan and $20,000 for Angela Cunningham in Kenosha County; $35,000 for Katie Kegel in Milwaukee County; and $10,000 for Jane Bucher in Green County. ¹²

1. “FEC FORM 1.” Form 1 for Demand Justice PAC. Accessed October 12, 2020. https://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/forms/C00760827/1444986/. ^
2.    “DEMAND JUSTICE PAC – Committee Overview – FEC.Gov”. 2020. Federal Election Commission. Accessed November 9. https://www.fec.gov/data/committee/C00760827/?tab=summary.
3. Ludwig, Hayden. 2019. Big Money In Dark Shadows. Ebook. Washington, D.C.: Capital Research Center. https://capitalresearch.org/app/uploads/CRC_Arabella-Advisors-Dark-Money.pdf.
4. “FEC FORM 1.” Form 1 for Demand Justice PAC. Accessed October 12, 2020. https://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/forms/C00760827/1444986/. ^
5. Meyer, Theodoric. “Demand Justice Starts a Super PAC,” October 9, 2020. https://www.politico.com/newsletters/politico-influence/2020/10/09/demand-justice-starts-a-super-pac-790920. ^
6. Meyer, Theodoric. “Demand Justice Starts a Super PAC,” October 9, 2020. https://www.politico.com/newsletters/politico-influence/2020/10/09/demand-justice-starts-a-super-pac-790920. ^
7. Evans, Megan. 2015. “Former Schumer Aide Expected To Join Clinton Camp”. Roll Call. https://www.rollcall.com/2015/03/17/former-schumer-aide-expected-to-join-clinton-camp/.
8. Evans, Megan. 2015. “Former Schumer Aide Expected To Join Clinton Camp”. Roll Call. https://www.rollcall.com/2015/03/17/former-schumer-aide-expected-to-join-clinton-camp/.
9. Evans, Megan. 2015. “Former Schumer Aide Expected To Join Clinton Camp”. Roll Call. https://www.rollcall.com/2015/03/17/former-schumer-aide-expected-to-join-clinton-camp/.
10. Conley, Julia. 2020. “‘Prove Him Wrong’: Progressives Demand Democrats Accept Mcconnell’s Challenge, Expand Supreme Court If They Win Elections”. Common Dreams. https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/10/26/prove-him-wrong-progressives-demand-democrats-accept-mcconnells-challenge-expand.
11. “DEMAND JUSTICE PAC – Committee Overview – FEC.Gov”. 2020. Federal Election Commission. Accessed November 9. https://www.fec.gov/data/committee/C00760827/?tab=summary.
12. Report of Independent Expenditures (Form CF-7), Wisconsin. Demand Justice PAC. 2021.