Former Federal Judge Donated To White Supremacist Cause

The former judge gave money to an organization whose stated goal is to "help" a known hate group.

Lawyers, armed with their professional degrees and years of “impartial” training on hand, often fancy themselves above the fray. Conservative legal minds have their tickets punched by the Federalist Society, but they’re supposed to be better than outright support for Neo-Nazi groups. But given the visibility of white supremacist groups after the Charlottesville protest, it is worth investigating deeper connections between members of the bar and hate groups — the veil between acceptable society and naked racism is becoming thinner.

Take former United States District Judge Robert Echols, who’s now a partner at Bass Berry & Sims. According to The Tennessean, Echols donated $2,950 to the Mary Noel Kershaw Foundation… which just happens to fund firearms self-defense training for the League of the South.

The League of the South became well known after Charlottesville when the League’s president, Michael Hill, told attendees to prepare for violence at the protest. According to the League’s website, the Kershaw Foundation was named after a League of the South board member’s wife to “honor her and help The League of the South.”

Despite these straightforward links to a white supremacist group, Echols is pleading ignorance, saying he didn’t know where his nearly $3,000 was going:

“When I made the contributions, at the request of my Bible study leader, I believed that I was making donations to a Christian school and that my financial support would help families,” Echols said in the statement.

While it is true the Foundation also provides financial support to a homeschooling organization — for a course called “A History of the Southern People” (yup, that’s the actual name of the course) — the non-profit’s financial records do not reveal whether Echols’s money went to the class or training for League of the South (and, of course, money is fungible).

His current firm is conducting an investigation into the issue, saying:

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“We expect everyone affiliated with our firm to conduct themselves according to our values, which are rooted in integrity, fairness, inclusion and respect,” the statement said. “That is why, as soon as we learned about this news story, we launched our own internal investigation. We are taking all necessary steps to address this issue.”

Given the clear link between the Foundation and the League of the South, it seems problematic, regardless of whether Echols’s money was intended for the League directly or for a homeschool indoctrination course they support. The fact is that Echols reportedly gave money to an organization whose stated goal is to “help” a known hate group.

While Echols’s statement included a condemnation of the League, he didn’t repudiate his contribution to the Foundation:

“I have a long history of supporting education, my community and my profession,” Echols said in the statement, “and will continue to give to organizations that make the world a better place.”

It’s like he doesn’t understand what the big deal is, if his money went to the educational goals of a hate group (the Southern Poverty Law Center classifies both the Foundation and the League as neo-confederate groups). Protip: avoid all associations with white supremacist groups, otherwise you’ll wind up on the wrong side of history.

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headshotKathryn Rubino is an editor at Above the Law. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter (@Kathryn1).