schenck said mrs. wright told him that the decision would be favorable to hobby lobby, and the justice alito had written the majority opinion. he used that information to prepare a public relations bush, records show, and he said that, at the last minute, he tipped off the president of hobby lobby, the craft store chain, owned by christian evangelicals, that was the winning party in the case. justice alito has now done something that clarence thomas has never done, justice alito is publicly denying the allegation against him, in a written statement to the new york times. samuel alito said, the allegation that the rights were told the outcome of the decision in the hobby lobby case, or the authorship of the opinion of the court, by me or my wife, is completely false. in his written statement, justice alito admits that the wrights bought their way into his home. my wife and i became acquainted with the wrights some years ago because of their strong support for the supreme court historical society, and si

schenck gave his stealth missionaries close instruction.e more likely to give let their guard down at the historical site is annual dinners because they soon detainees been properly vetted. see adjusted, rarely approach he told the couples. if given the opportunity, bear witness to biblical truth but don't push it he said. your presence along telegraph the very important signal to the justices. christians are concerned about the court and the issues that come before it. now whether the strategy actually worked is yet to be department. whether the presence of christians that ultimately got the court to ultimately strike down roe, that is all unknown. after all, schenck was trying to influence justices who are already ardently pro life but. what is undeniable here in what is frankly pretty shocking, certain right-wing activists like reverend schenck have been successful in their attempt to gain special access to support him keep court justices with the extreme express purpose is pressuring them through wanting a dining them and donations to t

after all, schenck was trying to influence justices who are already ardently pro life but. in what is frankly pretty shocking, certain right-wing activists like reverend schenck have been successful in their attempt to gain special access to support him keep court justices with the extreme express purpose is pressuring them through wanting a dining them and donations to the favorite causes. we know this because mr. schenck told the times that one of these wealthy couples actually became friends with justice samuel alito and his wife. and this couple learned in advance about the course decision in a landmark 2014 case which if you remember concerned construe section of the religious rights of corporations. when we look at it that way, 125,000 dollar donation to the supreme court historical society seems like a pretty big deal, for a heads up on a landmark supreme court case. not justice alito says there's nothing here. quote my wife and i became acquainted with the rights some years ago because of their strong support for the supreme yes wait for it to supreme court historic

schenck's allegations. wow, big story.donna lippman, senior editor and legal correspondent at slate, msnbc law and politics analyst, and author of j.d. -- lady justice, the battle to save america. also with me is barbara mcquade, the former u.s. attorney for michigan's eastern district an msnbc legal analyst. thank you both for coming on. let's start with you, donna. what should we make of the fact that the supreme court, a supreme court justice is having dinner with donors, that could influence major decisions in front of him? first of all, is this common practice, what does it say about the court? >> that is the right framing. i think that the right framing is that there was this massive influence campaign which was going on, entity called faith and actions, that set up office across the street from the supreme court. they get donors with did interest in outcomes of the court to funnel money, through the supreme court historical society, and then they get invited to parties for the hobnobbed with the justices. they offer

to get close to the operatives, schenck's operatives gave big bank to the justices historical society, one that provides high dollar donors with access to the justices at private functions. after meeting the justices at these events, the operatives then set to work emboldening them. they prayed with the justices in their private chambers. they arranged for the justices to meet other far-right activists. most importantly, schenck himself says he encouraged his wealthiest donors to invite some of the justices to meals, to their vacation homes, or to private clubs. according to schenck, he arranged over the years for about 20 couples to fly to washington to visit with and entertain justices thomas, alito, and scalia, the three justices who, in his words, proved amenable, proved amenable to these efforts. i've spoken before in these scheme speeches about justices failure to disclose what they call personal hospitality, and we have found no disclosure of these dinners, visits, and vacations. one couple from ohio, the wrights, stood out among the operatives in this plan. this couple not onl

schenck says he was told of the decision by one of his donors, gale wright, who contacted him after sher with justice alito and justice alito's wife. justice alito denies the account saying, "the allegation that the wrights were cold told the outcome of the decision in the hobby lobby case or the authorship of the court by me or my wife is completely false." the blockbuster "times" reporting has sparked calls for investigations by lawmakers. senator dick durbin, chairman of the judiciary committee, says his committee is reviewing these serious allegations which "highlight once again the inexcusable supreme court loophole in federal judicial ethics rules." a closer look at the u.s. supreme court following this extraordinary new reporting is where we begin the hour with some of our favorite reporters and friends. joining us kimberly atkins store, senior opinion writer for the "boston globe" and the emancipator. also joining us our good friend john heilemann, host and executive producer of showtime's "the circus." the executive editor of "the recount" as well. and former senator claire mcc