The Legal Right’s Unofficial Birthday
The Federalist Society was founded in 1982 by law students seeking to challenge the perceived liberal dominance in academia and the legal profession. The group became a key intellectual hub for conservative legal thought and the development of the 'New Right' strategy.
Why it matters
The Federalist Society has played a pivotal role in shaping the modern conservative judiciary in the United States.
Forty-four years ago, a conservative legal convention offered disaffected students an identity—and hope.
Illustration by The Atlantic. Sources: Sepia Times / Getty; H. Armstrong Roberts / ClassicStock / Getty. September 13, 2026, 7 AM ET Share Save A merica’s highest court didn’t take on a deeply partisan , conservative bent overnight. This transformation began decades ago, with a simple purpose: In the early 1980s, three law students were fed up with what they saw as a liberal monoculture at their elite universities. They wanted a place to freely debate conservative ideas and to refine their arguments. So the students—Lee Liberman, Steve Calabresi, and David McIntosh—decided to build one.
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