I also must thank my parents, Mark and Martha Campbell, and my in-laws, Leonardo and Leticia Severino. All have given generously of their time to support our family, even traveling across the country to help out. I am who I am because of my parents’ love and encouragement, their support of me in all my endeavors, and the sharing of their passions, from baking and music to reading and theology. Becoming a parent myself has made me appreciate even more deeply their love and wisdom.
In the final push before the confirmation, I tried to explain to my children that they were the reason I was doing this. I want them to grow up in a country devoted to the rule of law and in which ideas are debated vigorously, but civilly. They will be the ones living in the America governed by this Supreme Court, and it will be their justices’—or their own—confirmations that we hope will be run in a more humane way in the future.
Mollie Hemingway
My contribution to this book would not have been possible without the support of my colleagues, family, and friends. Thank you.
This book’s achievements are the result of the work of Carrie Severino, a shockingly good journalist, in addition to being a spectacular attorney. Her precision for details and word choice, brilliant legal mind, and tenacious pursuit of information were a thrill to observe. That she worked around the clock while caring for her six beautiful children, including a baby babbling on her lap, made it only more impressive. She could not have done her remarkable work without her husband Roger’s support. His input from the beginning helped focus and clarify the project as well. I went into the project admiring both of them and came out of it absolutely loving them. For several months, I spoke more each day to Carrie than to everyone else in my life combined.
My colleagues at The Federalist enthusiastically and graciously supported my work. Thank you to Ben Domenech for his vision and for seeing my potential when so few others did. Sean Davis, who has become a professional partner in multiple ways, helped me think through interviews, research, and storylines. His edits, suggestions, and counsel kept me on course throughout. David Harsanyi, whom it is my joy and privilege to work with, freely gave advice based on his experience of writing many books. I am beyond grateful to, and humbled by, Joy Pullmann for not just working around the clock, but for picking up extra work while I was unavailable. Madeline Osburn has made The Federalist better each day with her infectiously cheerful attitude and work ethic and helped us immeasurably when we dealt with the death of our dear friend and colleague Bre Payton in December 2018. Bre’s joyful spirit, abiding faith, and love for life were a constant source of comfort for me in the dark months following her death.
Thank you to my Fox News colleagues, who have taught me so much about journalism and broadcasting. Brit Hume saw potential in me and gave me confidence to try out a new medium. Charles Krauthammer encouraged me to find my voice and hold strong to it. Bret Baier and Howard Kurtz brought me on board and allowed me to participate in their excellent programs. Thank you also to Shannon Bream, Tucker Carlson, Laura Ingraham, Ashley Moir, and Mary Pat Dennert. A particular thank you to everyone in the hair and makeup room for transforming me night after night for readiness on the television, a task made more difficult the less sleep I got. They were some of my chief champions and encouragers when I grew weary.
My colleagues at Hillsdale College, Matthew Spalding and John Miller, provided ready counsel, supportive words, and excellent advice.
Thank you to my readers at The Federalist and viewers at Fox News. Their feedback and support gave me the courage to speak out in a city where conformity is demanded. While this book focuses on the key players in Washington, D.C., Carrie and I tried not to lose sight of the American people and their frustration with beltway politics.
Immanuel Lutheran Church, my spiritual home, continued its decades of support. Thank you to Pastor Christopher Esget for spiritual care. My friend Dolores Hardtke’s regular encouragement over the years has been life-changing. Thank you to Kara Lloyd for the help and friendship. Many friends emotionally supported me in this process, none as much as Matthew Braun and Julia Habrecht. Thank you for listening to my stories and for unending hospitality. I thank God he brought them into my life. Thank you to Mary Diamond Stirewalt for pushing me to do broadcast work, teaching me how to do it, and for doing so much with so little credit and to Liz Sheld for a little bit of everything.
Thank you also to my parents, Larry and Carolyn Ziegler, and my siblings, Kirsten Pratt and Erich Ziegler, for putting up with me throughout my challenging adolescence, and inculcating in me a love of the Constitution. I will never forget watching the Thomas hearings with my mother while traveling through California that fall. My parents’ conversations and debates stayed with me, as did their gracious giving of time to discuss politics, economics, and, most importantly, our Christian faith. Thank you also to my aunts and uncles, cousins, and in-laws, particularly Bill and Kathy Hemingway, for their unflinching support. A special word of thanks for my friends Erica Beeney Wyatt and Patrice Wittrig Stilley, whose intelligence inspired me and challenged me to reach new heights.
Because of an implausibly short timeline, my husband and children spent months without my full participation in home life. My children took to sleeping in my office to spend time with me, which simultaneously wracked me with guilt and gave me such comfort on long nights. Mark, as he has for nearly thirteen years, kept us all healthy and happy. He has always been my biggest supporter, and I am thankful God blessed me with such an amazing head to our household. The love in my heart for him is inexpressible. When Carrie and I began this project, Mark helped us envision what it could be, encouraged us to emphasize storytelling, and pushed us over the finish line.
About the Authors
Mollie Ziegler Hemingway is a senior editor at The Federalist and a contributor to Fox News, where she regularly appears on Special Report with Bret Baier. Her work has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, the Los Angeles Times, the Guardian, the Washington Post, CNN, Claremont Review of Books, National Review, Christianity Today, Federal Times, Radio & Records, and many other publications. Mollie was a Phillips Foundation Journalism Fellow in 2004, a Lincoln Fellow of the Claremont Institute in 2014, and the Eugene C. Pulliam Distinguished Fellow in Journalism at Hillsdale College in 2016. She earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Colorado and serves on the board of the News Literacy Project and the Fund for American Studies’ Institute on Political Journalism.
Carrie Severino is chief counsel and policy director of the Judicial Crisis Network, the most important outside group advancing the Kavanaugh nomination. An expert on the confirmation process, Mrs. Severino has been extensively quoted in the media and regularly appears on television, including MSNBC, FOX, CNN, C-SPAN, and ABC’s This Week. Carrie has written and spoken on a wide range of judicial issues, particularly the constitutional limits on government, the federal nomination process, and state judicial selection. She has testified before Congress on constitutional issues and briefed senators on judicial nominations, and she regularly files briefs in high-profile Supreme Court cases. Before joining JCN, she was an Olin-Searle Fellow and a Dean’s Visiting Scholar at Georgetown University Law Center. She was previously a law clerk to Justice Clarence Thomas of the U.S. Supreme Court and to Judge David B. Sentelle of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. She received her bachelor’s degree from Duke University, her master’s degree in linguistics from Michigan State University, and her law degree, cum laude, from Harvard University.