Ryan Nelson Tmp Jdg
SWAMP THING
---
---
10 21 25 2 TRUMP JUDGE DEM DOCK
Legal experts are sounding the alarm on a shocking federal appeals court ruling that all but permitted President Donald Trump’s deployment of National Guard troops into Portland, Oregon. They warn that, if upheld, the order would give Trump unbridled power to use the military domestically.
Two Trump appointed judges on a three-judge Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals panel voted Monday to stay a lower court ruling blocking Trump’s deployment in the City of Roses.
The full 9th Circuit is set to vote on whether to rehear the case.
The two circuit court judges claimed that U.S. District Judge Karin Immergut, who was also appointed by Trump, incorrectly questioned the president’s decision to federalize 200 Oregon National Guard members and deploy them to the city late last month.
Trump’s deployment is still blocked by a second order from Immergut that remains in effect. However, shortly after the Ninth Circuit panel’s ruling, the Department of Justice (DOJ) asked Immergut to dissolve her second order, which would officially allow Trump to move soldiers into Portland.
Elizabeth Goitein, a senior director at the Brennan Center for Justice and an expert on presidential emergency powers, wrote on social media Tuesday it was “one of the most dangerous and legally flawed court decisions I’ve seen this year.”
Goitein noted that Judges Bridget Bade and Ryan Nelson — the Trump appointees on the panel — significantly expanded the president’s ability to federalize and deploy Guard troops domestically by arguing that he should be allowed to cite prior unrest in Portland, or even unrest in other parts of the country, to justifying a military intervention in a city.
“By this logic, Trump should be able to deploy the military today—in Portland and many other cities—to address conduct that occurred during the 2020 protests over the police killing of George Floyd,” Goitein wrote.
The ruling, Goitein wrote, was “clearly” an incorrect reading of 10 U.S.C. 12406 (Title 10), the archaic statute Trump used to federalize Oregon’s troops. It allows the president to federalize state Guard troops when the country faces foreign invasion, when the U.S. government faces rebellion or when the president is unable to execute laws with regular resources.
Goitein added that through their ruling, Bade and Nelson undermined First Amendment rights by upholding the Trump administration’s conclusion that the president was unable to execute the law in Portland without the Guard’s assistance.
Trump claimed in late September Guard troops were needed to protect Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents from “domestic terrorists” who had an ICE facility in the “War ravaged” city “under siege.” The Trump administration further claimed that the recent anti-ICE demonstrations in the city amounted to a “rebellion” against the U.S. government.
State and local police officials pushed back on Trump’s interpretation of conditions in the city, saying in court filings that demonstrations near the facility were largely sedate gatherings of a few dozen people that could be managed by local and state resources.
“It is hard to overstate how misguided and dangerous this ruling is,” Goitein wrote. “Even where protests involve acts of violence, deploying the military is illegal unless that violence reaches a level where state and local law enforcement are completely overwhelmed.”
Writing in a minority opinion Monday, Susan Graber, appointed by former President Bill Clinton, also criticized Nelson and Bade’s ruling for threatening freedom of speech.
“It erodes core constitutional principles, including sovereign States’ control over their States’ militias and the people’s First Amendment rights to assemble and to object to the government’s policies and actions,” Graber wrote.
Athul Acharya, the executive director of the nonprofit civil-rights law firm Public Accountability, pointed out that Nelson, through a concurring opinion, took a more extreme position than Bade.
Nelson adopted the Trump administration’s argument that courts have no authority to question a president’s decision to federalize troops under Title 10. In taking that position, he was disagreeing with precedent set by a separate Ninth Circuit panel over Trump’s deployment in Los Angeles.
In that case, the other panel rejected the Trump administration’s arguments that courts can’t review Title 10 federalizations but also held that any judicial review must be “highly deferential” to the president.
That was the position Bade took as well, though she found that Immergut misapplied the “highly deferential” standard by disagreeing with Trump’s assessment of unrest in Portland.
“Love that ‘the president can use the National Guard to invade Portland’ is the moderate position here,” Acharya wrote on social media. “Ryan Nelson would’ve held that as long as Trump recites some magic words, he can do whatever he wants with the National Guard, whenever, wherever.”
Marty Lederman, a Georgetown Law professor and former DOJ attorney, highlighted that while Bade and Nelson at length argued why they were deferring Trump’s determination that he was unable to execute the law in Portland, they never recognized such a determination from the president.
Trump announced the Portland military deployment through a series of social media posts. In oral arguments, the DOJ argued that the posts were Trump’s formal determination that troops were needed. Bade and Nelson, however, ultimately rejected that argument, leaving no formal determination from the president.
In addition to being heavily criticized by legal experts, Bade and Nelson’s ruling may soon be scrutinized by their colleagues as well. Shortly after they issued their order, a Ninth Circuit judge requested that the court vote on whether a larger panel should rehear the Trump administration’s appeal of Immergut’s ruling.
This is known as an “en banc” — or “on the bench” — hearing and usually means that all judges in the appellate court, rather than a smaller panel, hear a case.
However, the Ninth Circuit’s en banc process is unique given its size. As the largest appellate circuit in the country, it has 29 active judgeships, which is far too many to participate in a rehearing.
Instead, the full court takes a vote on whether to rehear an appeal. If approved, a limited en banc court composed of 11 judges — the chief judge and 10 others drawn at random — convenes for a rehearing.
Steve Vladeck, a Georgetown Law professor, noted that due to this unique process, the full Ninth Circuit, which leans liberal, will likely vote to rehear the Trump administration’s appeal, but the limited en banc court could uphold Bade and Nelson’s ruling depending on which judges are drawn.
It’s unclear exactly which Ninth Circuit judge called for an en banc hearing, but in her dissent, Graber urged her colleagues to “swiftly” vacate Monday’s order “before the illegal deployment of troops under false pretenses can occur.”
A separate Ninth Circuit panel is set to hear oral arguments Wednesday over Trump’s LA deployment. It will consider whether U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer was correct in finding that Trump’s use of troops in the city earlier this year violated a law that largely bars the use of the military in law enforcement.
---
wiki 10 25
Ryan Douglas Nelson (born June 23, 1973) is a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. He was previously nominated to become Solicitor of the United States Department of the Interior, but was never confirmed.[1][2]
Early life and education
Nelson earned a Bachelor of Arts in English literature from Brigham Young University (BYU) in 1996. He then attended BYU's J. Reuben Clark Law School, where he was lead articles editor of the BYU Law Review. During law school, he was a law clerk for then-Senate Legal Counsel, Thomas B. Griffith, during the impeachment of President Bill Clinton in 1999 and assisted with preparation for Clinton's impeachment trial.[3] He graduated in 1999 with a Juris Doctor with honors and Order of the Coif membership.
Legal career
After law school, Nelson served as a law clerk for Judge Karen L. Henderson of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit and for Richard M. Mosk and Charles N. Brower of the Iran–United States Claims Tribunal in The Hague, Netherlands. Nelson worked as an associate at Sidley Austin. He argued 13 federal court of appeals cases on environmental and constitutional issues before becoming a judge.[4]
Nelson previously served as a Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Environment and Natural Resources Division of the United States Department of Justice and as Deputy General Counsel for the Office of Management and Budget. He also served as special counsel for the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary and as a law clerk for the Senate Legal Counsel.[4]
From 2009 to 2018, Nelson was General Counsel of Melaleuca, Inc.[4] In July 2017, he was nominated to be Solicitor of the United States Department of the Interior. In September 2017, Nelson appeared before the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. His nomination was then placed on the Senate Executive Calendar,[5] but it was never confirmed by the full Senate.
Federal judicial service
On May 10, 2018, President Donald Trump withdrew Nelson's nomination to be Solicitor of the Department of the Interior[6] and announced his intent to instead nominate him to serve as a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. On May 15, 2018, his nomination was sent to the Senate. Nelson was nominated to the seat vacated by Judge N. Randy Smith, who subsequently assumed senior status on August 11, 2018. On July 11, 2018, a hearing on his nomination was held before the Senate Judiciary Committee.[7] On September 13, 2018, his nomination was reported out of committee by an 11–10 vote.[8] On October 11, 2018, the United States Senate confirmed his nomination by a 51–44 vote.[9] He received his judicial commission on October 18, 2018.[10]
In 2025, amid deployments of National Guard into cities across the United States by the second Donald Trump administration, Nelson questioned whether the judiciary can restrain the president from deploying the National Guard in this manner.[11]
Memberships
Nelson has been a member of the Federalist Society since 1997.[12] He has served as a council member and co-chair of the General Counsel Committee for the American Bar Association Administrative Law and Regulatory Practice since 2012.[12] Nelson has been a member of the Idaho Chapter of the Federal Bar Association and the Eagle Rock Inns of Court since 2010.[12] He was a member of the Republican National Lawyers Association from 2005 until 2018.[12]
Personal life
Nelson was born and raised in Idaho Falls, Idaho.[13] Nelson is married to Barbara Baer and they have seven children.[13]
lcv
U.S. circuit court judge for the Ninth Circuit. Circuit courts are often the ultimate arbiters of highly significant cases and it is critical that the judges confirmed to serve lifetime appointments on these courts are qualified, non-partisan, and committed to treating parties fairly. Moreover, the Ninth Circuit, the largest circuit court covering nearly three-quarters of the United States’ public lands, serves a crucial role in deciding some of our nation’s most important environmental cases. During his time in the Department of Justice’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD), Nelson oversaw the legal defense of the President George W. Bush administration’s efforts to benefit polluters and roll back critical environmental protections. This included helping the government argue against regulating carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in Massachusetts v. EPA. On July 31, the Senate confirmed Nelson to the Ninth Circuit by a vote of 51-44 (Senate roll call vote 232). NO IS THE PRO-ENVIRONMENT VOTE.
---
On May 15, 2018, President Trump nominated Ryan Nelson to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. If confirmed, Nelson will replace JudgeN. Randy Smith, who is scheduled to assume senior status on August 11, 2018.
Based on our review of Nelson’s record, Alliance for Justice opposes his nomination to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
---
---
trump judge nelson
zinke?
---
2015 cost 3m$ to defend
Today we are happy to announce a monumental legal victory for Mother Jones: A judge in Idaho has ruled in our favor on all claims in a defamation case filed by a major Republican donor, Frank VanderSloot, and his company, Melaleuca Inc. In a decision issued Tuesday, the court found that Mother Jones did not defame VanderSloot or Melaleuca because “all of the statements at issue are non-actionable truth or substantial truth.” The court also found that the statements were protected as fair comment under the First Amendment.
===
Zinke Applauds Nomination of Idaho's Ryan Nelson to Serve as Interior Solicitor
Aug. 1, 2017 • Original Press Release (Publisher's Website)
Date: August 1, 2017
Contact: Interior_Press@ios.doi.gov
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump announced yesterday the nomination of Ryan Nelson of Idaho to serve as the Solicitor for the Department of the Interior.
As Solicitor, Nelson will be the chief attorney for the United States Department of the Interior, principal legal adviser to the Secretary of the Interior, and will oversee 400 employees, including 300 attorneys. He will be assisted by several Deputy Solicitors, Associate Solicitors, and eight Regional Solicitors.
“Ryan Nelson is coming to the Department of the Interior with a strong background in natural resources policy and law, stretching many years in both the public and private sector,” said U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke. “Having a seasoned legal expert like Ryan, who is also a son of the West, will benefit the entire Department. I look forward to his speedy confirmation by the Senate.”
“I am honored to have been chosen by Secretary Zinke and nominated by President Trump to serve, and I look forward to the next steps in the Senate confirmation process,” Ryan Nelson said.
“Ryan Nelson’s background is a strong fit for the U.S. Department of Interior as he has worked on a wide-range of policy issues important to both Idaho and to the nation,” said Senator Mike Crapo of Idaho. “Combined with his strong legal background, Ryan will bring a point of view to Interior that is critically important given the agency’s jurisdiction over significant portions of the Western United States. I congratulate Ryan on his nomination and will work with my Senate colleagues to advance his confirmation.”
“Ryan Nelson’s experience handling environmental and natural resources policy and his vast understanding of issues impacting Western states make him well-qualified for this position,” said Senator Jim Risch of Idaho, a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee overseeing this nomination. “I encourage my colleagues in the Senate to swiftly confirm his nomination.”
“I’ve known Ryan for over 20 years and have interacted with him at every stage of his impressive legal career,” said Senator Mike Lee of Utah, also a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee overseeing this nomination. “He will be an extraordinary Solicitor.”
“I am pleased to see an Idahoan nominated for such an important role at the Department of the Interior,” said Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson. “I congratulate Ryan Nelson on his nomination to lead Interior’s Office of the Solicitor and I look forward to his important work advising the Secretary on decisions which impact Idaho and the Western United States.”
Nelson has the unique experience of working at high levels in all branches of government, including positions in the Executive Office of the President, the Department of Justice, and the United States Senate Judiciary Committee.
Ron Tenpas, former Assistant Attorney General for the Department of Justice's Environment and Natural Resources Division, said: “I worked with Ryan when he served as a key legal advisor at the Department of Justice in the Environment and Natural Resources Division. He is a stellar attorney and consistently took on greater management responsibilities for the Division. During his tenure, he successfully argued more than a dozen important cases and oversaw more than 500 overall, including as Division counsel for several Supreme Court cases. He has a deep litigation and regulatory background, particularly on natural resources and environmental issues. I have full confidence that the Department of the Interior will be well served by Ryan's unique legal skill set.”
Nelson has been serving as General Counsel at Melaleuca, Inc., a billion-dollar consumer goods company based in Nelson’s hometown of Idaho Falls, Idaho. As a senior corporate management team member, Nelson oversees the Legal and Policy Departments and manages all corporate compliance, litigation, and regulatory issues.
Regarding Nelson’s nomination, Melaleuca’s CEO, Frank VanderSloot said: “Ryan has been a primary member of the management team and the chief legal advisor for Melaleuca, Inc. for nearly eight years. I have personally come to trust and rely on his legal mind and deep commitment to the law, as he has effectively advised the company over the years. During his service, the company has nearly tripled in size and Ryan has built a strong legal team and worked tirelessly to successfully guide the company’s growth. President Trump and Secretary Zinke have chosen the best possible candidate to lead the Department of the Interior’s legal team. Ryan is a true patriot and I fully support his personal sacrifice in serving this country that he loves so much.”
---
swamp thing
liar inside the wire: doi
Interior Solicitor
If confirmed, Ryan Nelson will serve as the Solicitor for the Department of the Interior. “As Solicitor, Nelson will be the chief attorney for the United States Department of the Interior, principal legal adviser to the Secretary of the Interior, and will oversee 400 employees, including 300 attorneys. He will be assisted by several Deputy Solicitors, Associate Solicitors, and eight Regional Solicitors.”
A native of Idaho Falls, Idaho and a Brigham Young University Law School graduate, Ryan Nelson is a George W. Bush administration veteran and has worked most recently for Idaho billionaire Frank VanderSloot.Nelson began his legal career working as an associate at Sidley Austin LLP, and from there he went to serve in the Bush administration as deputy assistant attorney general in the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division, where he argued “against environmental or citizens’ groups… seeking to block government actions.” Nelson also served in the Bush administration as deputy general counsel for the White House Office of Management and Budget. For a few months in 2009, Nelson worked on the Senate Judiciary Committee where he was part of the “Republicans’ core nominations team” working on the Supreme Court nomination of Sonia Sotomayor. For the past eight years, Nelson has worked as general counsel to “controversial” “health care products company” Melaleuca. In addition to representing the company in corporate litigation cases, Nelson represented CEO Frank VanderSloot, working to “bully and silence” those who have pointed out that VanderSloot funds a “‘number of anti-gay causes'” and those who have criticized Melaleuca’s “‘shady business model.'”
Sources: Department of the Interior, [Press Release, 08/01/17, Chase Peterson-Withorn, “How Frank VanderSloot, Wellness Billionaire And GOP Kingmaker, Became Idaho’s Richest Person,” Forbes, 06/21/17, Michael Doyle, “‘Aggressive’ solicitor pick brings broad legal experience,” Greenwire, 08/01/17, Legistorm Profile for Ryan D. Nelson, accessed 08/02/17, “Senate Judiciary Republicans Staffing up for Sotomayor,“Legal Times, 06/05/09, Bryan Clark, “Melaleuca attorney tapped for DOI solicitor,” Idaho Falls Post Register, 08/01/17, Glen Greenwald, “Billionaire Romney donor uses threats to silence critics,” Salon, 02/17/12, Kimberlee Kruesi, “VanderSloot’s Mother Jones suit tossed: Judge dismisses conservative Idaho activist’s lawsuit against liberal magazine,” Lewiston Morning Tribune, 10/08/15, and Bryan Clark, “Melaleuca attorney tapped for DOI solicitor,” Idaho Falls Post Register, 08/01/17]
Background Information
Previous Employers
Environmental and Natural Resources Division, United States Department of Justice
Office of Management and Budget
Additional Background on Employers of Note:
Ryan Nelson, as deputy assistant attorney general for the Bush administration, argued “against environmental or citizens’ groups… seeking to block government actions.”
As deputy assistant attorney general in the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division, Ryan Nelson “was listed as an attorney in two appellate cases in the 9th Circuit during his time in the Bush administration, in each case arguing against environmental or citizens’ groups who were seeking to block government actions.”
Bryan Clark, “[Melaleuca attorney tapped for DOI solicitor,” Idaho Falls Post Register, 08/01/17]
Ryan Nelson called the DOJ’s $2 million civil settlement with the Jupiter Aluminum Corporation that spared the aluminum manufacturer “nearly $50 million” in pollution fines for “exceeding limits” of air pollution of “potential human carcinogens and other toxic chemicals” an “‘example of… good'” government cooperation.
As deputy assistant attorney general, Ryan Nelson announced the Department of Justice settled with the Jupiter Aluminum Corporation for “exceeding limits on air releases of potential human carcinogens and other toxic chemicals.” Jupiter Aluminum, which agreed to “pay a civil penalty of $2 million” and “take steps to ensure future compliance with certain provisions of the federal Clean Air Act (CAA),” was spared “nearly $50 million in fines.” Nelson called it “‘an example of the good that can come from the cooperation of federal, state and local government.'”
U.S. Department of Justice, [Press Release, 08/13/07, Steve Zabrowski, “Jupiter Aluminum plant in Hammond to settle in Clean Air Act complaint,” Times of Northwest Indiana, 08/11/07, and Steve Zabrowski, “Hammond’s Jupiter Aluminum agrees to $2 million civil penalty,” Times of Northwest Indiana, 08/15/07]
Ryan Nelson, as deputy assistant attorney general, represented the Bush administration against a citizens’ group who sued to stop an Alaskan mine from filling “in wetlands with mine tailings,” claiming “less destructive alternatives hadn’t been explored.”
As deputy assistant attorney general, Ryan Nelson represented the Bush administration in a 9thCircuit Court case, “arguing against” a citizens’ group “seeking to block” the Army Corps of Engineers for permitting the Rock Creek Mining Project, near Nome, Alaska. After the Army Corp of Engineers permitted the mine to fill in wetlands with mine tailings, the citizens group claimed “less destructive alternatives hadn’t been explored.”
Bryan Clark, “[Melaleuca attorney tapped for DOI solicitor,” Idaho Falls Post Register, 08/01/17]
Ryan Nelson, as deputy assistant attorney general, represented the Bush administration against an environmental group that “argued that yellowfin tuna caught by South and Central American fisherman using seine nets shouldn’t be permitted to use a ‘dolphin-safe’ label.” The court ruled against Nelson, and found the labeling was inappropriate.
The court ultimately blocked the Department of Commerce’s finding that such labeling was appropriate.”
Bryan Clark, “[Melaleuca attorney tapped for DOI solicitor,” Idaho Falls Post Register, 08/01/17]
Ryan Nelson has worked as general counsel for “controversial” “health care products company” Melaleuca.
Melaleuca is a “‘controversial billion-dollar-a-year company'” that has been described as a “‘pyramid selling organization, built along the lines of Herbalife and Amway.'” Melaleuca’s “get-rich pitches” have gotten the company into hot water with state regulators, and additionally the Food and Drug Administration has “accused Melaleuca of deceiving consumers about some of its supplements.”
Michael Doyle, “[‘Aggressive’ solicitor pick brings broad legal experience,” Greenwire, 08/01/17, Kimberlee Kruesi, “VanderSloot’s Mother Jones suit tossed: Judge dismisses conservative Idaho activist’s lawsuit against liberal magazine,” Lewiston Morning Tribune, 10/08/15, and Glen Greenwald, “Billionaire Romney donor uses threats to silence critics,” Salon, 02/17/12]
Someone who identifies themselves as a 16-year Melaleuca Inc. employee left a comment on the Federal Trade Commission’s website that Melaleuca was “one of the most obvious Pyramid Schemes on the planet” and that “the evidence of coruption [sic] and/ or scheming should be abundantly clear to all regulators seeking consumer protection.”
“[Comment,” Federal Trade Commission, 11/05/15]
Frank VanderSloot has used “his team of subservient lawyers” to “bully and silence” journalists. Ryan Nelson has sent threatening emails to journalists who have criticized Melaleuca’s business model and have accused VanderSloot and Melaleuca of being “‘Not-So-Gay-Friendly.'”
Critics have observed that “Frank VanderSloot and his team of subservient lawyers… are abusing the law and their own resources to threaten, bully and silence vulnerable people from engaging in perfectly legitimate political speech.”
Glen Greenwald, “[Billionaire Romney donor uses threats to silence critics,” Salon, 02/17/12]
In February 2012, Ryan Nelson sent a stern email to Elliot Suthers of Forbesmagazine after Suthers had written a piece in which he referenced Melaleuca’s “‘somewhat shady business model,’ and also referenced the ‘number of anti-gay causes’ which VanderSloot ha[d] funded.'” Nelson accused Suthers “of making ‘defamatory statements'” and told Suthers: “‘We expect immediate action here and no more stonewalling from you.'”
Glen Greenwald, “[Billionaire Romney donor uses threats to silence critics,” Salon, 02/17/12]
Also in February 2012, a website called the Idaho Agenda that “cover[ed] issues of interest to the state’s LGBT community” published a piece called that accused Melaleuca of being a “‘Not-So-Gay-Friendly'” company. The author of the piece “received an accusatory letter from a Melaleuca lawyer, Associate Counsel Michael LaClare…. [and] spoke to friends to decide what to do, but before he could respond, he received a follow-up missive by email from a different company lawyer, General Counsel Ryan Nelson, demanding compliance.” The author of the article emailed back to say that “he was working on a response” but Nelson threatened him, saying, “‘We really need to address this issue today or else we will have to consider escalating this issue to a much more serious level.'”
Glen Greenwald, “[Billionaire Romney donor uses threats to silence critics,” Salon, 02/17/12]
Ryan Nelson also represented Frank VanderSloot when VanderSloot sued Mother Jones magazine for defamation after Mother Jones wrote an article accusing VanderSloot of outing a reporter as gay; the case was dismissed.
In 2005, “when the Idaho Falls Post Register published a series of articles detailing pedophilia at a local Boy Scout camp… Melaleuca took out ads in the paper criticizing the article and repeating speculation that, among other issues, its homosexual author may have had ‘a personal axe to grind’ due to the Scouts’ then-policy of not allowing gay scout leaders.”
Chase Peterson-Withorn, “[How Frank VanderSloot, Wellness Billionaire And GOP Kingmaker, Became Idaho’s Richest Person,” Forbes, 06/21/17, and Stephanie Mencimer, “Pyramid-Like Company Ponies Up $1 Million for Mitt Romney,” Mother Jones, 02/06/12]
In 2012, Mother Jones published an article claiming that CEO of Melaleuca Frank VanderSloot, “in his letters to the local paper, publicly outed a reporter as gay. VanderSloot sued for defamation in Idaho court. The judge, while criticizing Mother Jones’ reporting, dismissed the claims as protected speech and threw out the case in October 2015.”
Chase Peterson-Withorn, “[How Frank VanderSloot, Wellness Billionaire And GOP Kingmaker, Became Idaho’s Richest Person,” Forbes, 06/21/17]
Ryan Nelson represented VanderSloot in the suit. Mother Jones’ attorney described Nelson as being “‘on the aggressive end of the spectrum.'”
Michael Doyle, “[‘Aggressive’ solicitor pick brings broad legal experience,” Greenwire, 08/01/17, and Bryan Clark, “Melaleuca attorney tapped for DOI solicitor,” Idaho Falls Post Register, 08/01/17]
In September 2016, Donald Trump Jr. had a “closed-door meeting at Melaleuca Global Headquarters” where he visited with Frank VanderSloot and the company’s management team.
Nate Eaton, “[Trump Jr. Visits Idaho Falls for Private Meeting at Melaleuca,” East Idaho News, 09/21/16]
---
We stood up to a billionaire political donor with a record of intimidating journalists and we won. On Tuesday, a judge dismissed a lawsuit brought by Frank VanderSloot against Mother Jones.
It’s a monumental victory, and a big blow to those who try to use their power to silence the media. But the two and a half year legal onslaught has also dealt a big blow to our budget. Fighting back—and winning—has cost us and our insurer at least $2.5 million and left us with $650,000 in out-of-pocket legal bills.
There’s a lot to bring you up to speed on, so please read this all the way to the bottom and make an emergency, tax-deductible donation to *Mother Jones*.
In February 2012, we published a story about how the Citizens United decision allowed wealthy contributors like VanderSloot—then a national finance co-chair for the Romney campaign—to drastically increase their political spending. Our story also covered the unusual lengths VanderSloot had gone to oppose LGBT rights in Idaho, and it touched on his company’s run-ins with regulators. Voters need to know who’s funding campaigns, and it’s our duty to report it.
VanderSloot’s lawyers sent us a letter complaining about the piece. In the past, big news organizations likeForbes have taken down stories in response to his complaints. But we wouldn’t—so nearly a year later, VanderSloot sued Mother Jones, as well as one of our reporters and me personally.
The lawsuit was filed one day before the statute of limitations expired, and it asked for $1 less than the amount that would have allowed the case to be moved out of VanderSloot’s local court in Idaho Falls.
People have asked us whether we think the lawsuit was connected to the story we broke about Mitt Romney’s “47 percent” video, which many argue cost the GOP the 2012 election. The honest answer is: we have no idea. But we do know that the aggressive legal assault by VanderSloot consumed a good part of the last two and a half years, and it cost us and our insurer at least $2.5 million.
We also know that it was a classic case of the wealthy using their power to try to control the media. ButMother Jones would not back down, even when faced with a drawn-out lawsuit and huge legal fees. Hell no.
==
http://dianeravitch.net/2013/02/02/a-billionaire-obsessed-by-union-phobia-2/
What do you say about a billionaire in Idaho who sees unions as the biggest threat to the American way of life?
As most people know, the number of people who belong to unions has declined dramatically in recent decades. As manufacturing jobs were outsourced to low-wage non-union countries, private sector unions shrank. Today, the majority of American workers are hourly workers with little or no job security and no pension.
And yet, here is a man who poured $1 million into a campaign to support Idaho’s so-called Luna laws (for rightwing state superintendent Tom Luna), which would have crushed the unions, which are already weak, initiated bonus pay, and made it easy to fire teachers at any time for any reason.
The good news is that voters across Idaho repealed the Luna laws, while voting Republican for state offices and the presidency.
To see the depth of his obsession, open the link in this comment by a reader.
“Eastern Idaho billionaire Frank VanderSloot, CEO of the direct-marketing company Melaleuca, contributed well over $1 million to the efforts to support State Superintendent Tom Luna’s Propositions 1, 2, and 3. Prop 1 would have eliminated much of the due-process provisions from teacher firings, limited contract negotiations to salary and benefits only, eliminated renewable contracts (so-called “tenure”), eliminated collective bargaining, among other things. Prop 2 would have instituted a pay-for-performance/merit-pay scheme based, in part, on student scores on standardized testing and on parent evaluations of teachers. Prop 3 (defeated by a 2 to 1 margin) would have spent $180 million over 8 years to purchase a laptop computer for every high school student while require each student to take two online courses in order to graduate.
“Mr. VanderSloot’s $1 million investment was in addition to the hundreds of thousands of dollars spent over the last two years placing full-page ads in numerous newspapers throughout Idaho. One such ad in Idaho’s largest newspaper, the Idaho Statesman, has been estimated to cost $20,000 per insertion. These ads are archived in a web site maintained by Mr. VanderSloot at http://www.communitypagenews.com/ . Without exception, they are anti-union, casting the opposition to the Luna legislation as out-of-state “union bosses” financed by union interests. In fact, they rarely address any issues related to education, other than the pernicious influence of unions.
“A few headlines give the flavor of these lurid ads, but they really have to be seen in full to be believed.
---
http://boingboing.net/2012/03/21/how-mitt-romneys-anti-gay-bi.html
Billionaire anti-gay campaigner and Mitt Romney campaign co-finance chair Frank VanderSloot is whitewashing his tarnished image with a public relations campaign. After years of trying to silence journalists critical of him and his record, all that's left to do is dodge the difficult questions.
After a recent scathing commentary from *Salon's* Glenn Greenwald, echoed nationwide on MSNBC by The Rachel Maddow Show, VanderSloot's history of threatening critics was exposed. The game changed. But his efforts only highlight a long record of local campaigning whose dirty tricks and litigious tactics now deserve national attention.
The many companies run by VanderSloot, a Mormon family-values man on his fourth marriage, include Riverbend Communications, which operates a number of radio stations in his home state. But he is perhaps most widely known as the CEO of Melaleuca, a multi-Level network marketing company that sells household and nutritional products.
In Feb. 2012, I received a letter from Melaleuca accusing me of making “repeated characterizations” of Frank VanderSloot and his company “as anti-gay” on my website. Among other claims, it said these references “are inaccurate” and “mislead readers.” It said my blog contained “infringing material,” “defamatory statements” and suggested that I would be held responsible for mainstream media coverage which was “increasing the unlawful reputational damage” sparked by my reportage.
Mother Jones and Forbes published stories in early February about VanderSloot, both of which linked back to a four-year-old post I had written on my old blog PrideDEPOT. This prompted Melaleuca’s threatening letter to me, which included a copy of a similar legal threat, apparently addressed to me in 2008, which I did not receive.
The day after Maddow reported on Greenwald’s story, the Melaleuca CEO released a prepared 4-page statement to the media which painted himself as the victim: “Since I seem to be the main topic of the ‘story,’ I fully expect my comments here will be twisted and mocked, because there are some who want to believe that people who have been successful in business or who disagree with them are evil or should be made out to appear evil.”
VanderSloot's recently-launched site consists of a media statement; a letter from the Idaho Attorney General’s Office; and comments from Post-Register publisher Roger Plothow. None of it addresses the key issues raised in Greenwald’s reporting, the take-down letters sent to James Tidmarsh at Idaho Agenda, or the legal threats sent to me.
As a public figure, VanderSloot promotes a remarkable political and social agenda. Through his lawyers, he is not shy in attacking these who taking issue with his words. His actions against gay people go back years, and they're more than worthy of examination.
---