The Conservative Legal Movement, or CLM, was an organized display of activism that started around the 1980s with the goal of opposing liberal legislation and banning abortion and pornography. Over time, the CLM became proficient at making legislation and eventually, after many losses, was able to create a pipeline into the court system and a powerful support structure. The many components that went into empowering the conservative agenda were conducive to the success and longevity of the movement. This process allowed the CLM to win cases and advance their goals. The Conservative Legal Movement built its support through a multifaceted approach that included the education of lawyers and judges who used strategic litigation, accruing money through …show more content…
An important aspect of CLM’s support structure was its success in gaining money through fundraising and donations. Not only is education for judges and lawyers expensive, but the constant and innumerable litigation the CLM participated in would not have been possible without a surplus of cash. This, in essence, allowed the CLM to build and sustain a pipeline to the courts, resulting in a more powerful conservative opinion. As the CLM was able to litigate more often, they became known as repeat players in the court system. A repeat player is someone who has more experience and resources on court with little to no risk. When taking on complicated cases, being a repeat player provides a huge advantage over one-shotters—someone or something who has less experience and more risk in court. The availability of money provided an avenue to gain the status of a repeat player, as one needs to litigate often to qualify for this title. The Conservative Legal Movement would have failed miserably without the availability of money, as any organization or movement does, showing how the acquisition of finances was important to the creation of their support structure. Two supports are better than one, but a structure will still be unstable and susceptible to