Richard Uihlein-Funded Liberty Justice Center Screams About National Media Coverage on Richard Uihlein-Funded Website
CHINO, CA – In a continued effort to “shift public opinion,” the Liberty Justice Center, an Illinois-based right-wing non-profit law firm funded by billionaire Richard Uihlein, aired all their grievances against The New York Times for their October 31 article, “The Latest Target for California Conservatives? Local School Boards,” on the Federalist.com, a right-wing website funded by Richard Uihelin posturing as a news site.
An October 2020 U.S. Senate report noted, “The Liberty Justice Center is a project of the Illinois Policy Institute (IPI)… largely funded by Richard Uihlein, an Illinois industrialist who has spent millions of dollars backing Republican candidates and anti-union efforts in recent years.”
The Center for Media and Democracy, an award-winning watchdog organization, obtained tax records uncovering that Federalist.com, an arm of FDRLST Media Foundation, is funded by, “GOP megadonor and shipping supply billionaire Richard Uihlein and DonorsTrust, a donor-advised fund manager that has been dubbed ‘the dark money ATM’ of the conservative movement.”
According to their website, the Liberty Justice Center “is most known for” the landmark anti-worker Janus v. AFSCME ruling decided by the United States Supreme Court in 2018. The U.S. Senate’s 2020 report continues: “Janus was the result of a multi-year, multi-case legal campaign by a few foundations and donor-advised funds with ties to corporations and radical right-wing millionaires and billionaires, including the Charles Koch Foundation, the Bradley Foundation, the Ed Uihlein Family Foundation, the Walton Family Foundation, DonorsTrust, and Donors Capital Fund.”
“Sonja Shaw is putting her own personal political crusades ahead of the needs of the people she’s elected to serve,” said Kristi Hirst, a parent, former teacher and co-founder of Our Schools USA, a grassroots non-profit founded by parents, teachers and school board members dedicated to advancing quality public education for all students.
“We think our school boards should be focused on things that matter to all students and public education,” Hirst told the New York Times. “Our schools are being derailed right now.”
According to polling data collected in August 2023 by the National Education Association (NEA), Hirst is correct. “Parents and voters prioritize helping students and strengthening public schools,” and “continue to reject right-wing culture wars.”
Additional key findings from the NEA poll include:
Lack of funding, teacher pay, and school shootings are voters’ top-of-mind concerns about education.
When given a list, voters rank pandemic learning recovery, lack of school funding, lack of technical training, insufficient mental health support, and educator shortages as the most serious problems facing K-12 public education.
On issues of history and curriculum specifically, voters are concerned about bans and restrictions… Culture war issues like teachers “grooming” students or pushing an LGBTQ+ agenda.