America First Legal Foundation (AFL) is an American

501(c)(3) A 501(c)(3) organization is a United States corporation, Trust (business), trust, unincorporated association or other type of organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code. It is one of ...

nonprofit A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

public interest In social science and economics, public interest is "the welfare or well-being of the general public" and society. While it has earlier philosophical roots and is considered to be at the core of democratic theories of government, often paired ...

organization founded in 2021 by Stephen Miller.

Organization

Leadership

America First Legal is led by a president, vice president, and executive director. Stephen Miller, the current senior advisor to President

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

, is the organization's founder and president. The vice president is Gene Hamilton, a

Department of Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice, is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...

official under Trump, and the executive director is

Matthew Whitaker Matthew George Whitaker (born October 29, 1969) is an American lawyer, politician, and diplomat serving as the 26th List of United States permanent representatives to NATO, United States permanent representative to NATO since 2025 in the Second ...

, the acting U.S. attorney general under Trump following

Jeff Sessions Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III (born December 24, 1946) is an American politician and attorney who served as the 84th United States attorney general from 2017 to 2018. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as United Stat ...

's resignation. America First Legal's board of directors includes Whitaker and former chief of staff for Trump,

Mark Meadows Mark Randall Meadows (born July 28, 1959) is an American politician who served as the 29th White House chief of staff from 2020 to 2021 under the Trump administration. A member of the Republican Party, he also served as the U.S. representat ...

Positions

America First Legal is a conservative legal entity that focuses on administrative law and executive overreach in response to litigation during the Trump administration, including legal challenges to the Trump travel ban, an attempt to ban TikTok, and barring migrants from seeking asylum. The organization has filed lawsuits regarding

diversity, equity, and inclusion In the United States, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) are organizational frameworks that seek to promote the fair treatment and full participation of all people, particularly groups who have historically been underrepresented or subject ...

Title 42 expulsion A Title 42 expulsion is the Deportation and removal from the United States, removal by the U.S. government of a person who had recently been in a country where a communicable disease was present. The extent of authority for contagion-related expu ...

s, the

First Amendment First most commonly refers to: * First, the ordinal form of the number 1 First or 1st may also refer to: Acronyms * Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters, an astronomical survey carried out by the Very Large Array * Far Infrared a ...

and social media services,

Title IX Title IX is a landmark federal civil rights law in the United States that was enacted as part (Title IX) of the Education Amendments of 1972. It prohibits sex-based discrimination in any school or any other education program that receiv ...

and transgender people, and

affirmative action Affirmative action (also sometimes called reservations, alternative access, positive discrimination or positive action in various countries' laws and policies) refers to a set of policies and practices within a government or organization seeking ...

. In January 2023, the organization joined a lawsuit led by

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

attorney general

Ken Paxton Warren Kenneth Paxton Jr. (born December 23, 1962) is an American politician and lawyer who has served as the attorney general of Texas since 2015. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served in the Texas Senate representing the e ...

claiming a federal migrant parole program was unlawful. In October 2022, America First Legal sent flyers to voters in

Colorado's 8th congressional district Colorado's 8th congressional district is a new district in the United States House of Representatives that was apportioned after the 2020 United States census. The first congressional seat to be added to Colorado's congressional districts, Color ...

that were characterized as transphobic by the Queer and Trans People of Color Program of the Latino Action Council. During the

2022 elections The following elections were scheduled to occur in 2022. The National Democratic Institute also maintains a calendar of elections around the world. * 2022 United Nations Security Council election * 2022 national electoral calendar * 2022 local e ...

, the organization became involved in legal efforts relating to claims of apparent voter fraud in the election. Flyers obtained by ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' targeted

Asian Americans Asian Americans are Americans with Asian diaspora, ancestry from the continent of Asia (including naturalized Americans who are Immigration to the United States, immigrants from specific regions in Asia and descendants of those immigrants). A ...

with anti-affirmative action messaging. America First Legal ran advertisements accusing the Biden administration of "anti-white bigotry", spending million on radio advertisements, second to the Senate Leadership Fund. Following Trump's federal indictment on charges of retaining classified documents, the organization sent out fundraising emails. Until July 2024, America First Legal was a member of the advisory board of

Project 2025 Project 2025 (also known as the 2025 Presidential Transition Project) is a political initiative to reshape the federal government of the United States and consolidate executive power in favor of right-wing policies. The plan was published in ...

, a collection of

and

right-wing Right-wing politics is the range of political ideologies that view certain social orders and hierarchies as inevitable, natural, normal, or desirable, typically supporting this position based on natural law, economics, authority, property ...

policy proposals from

The Heritage Foundation The Heritage Foundation (or simply Heritage) is an American Conservatism in the United States, conservative think tank based in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1973, it took a leading role in the conservative movement in the 1980s during the Presi ...

to reshape the

United States federal government The Federal Government of the United States of America (U.S. federal government or U.S. government) is the Federation#Federal governments, national government of the United States. The U.S. federal government is composed of three distinct ...

and consolidate

executive power The executive branch is the part of government which executes or enforces the law. Function The scope of executive power varies greatly depending on the political context in which it emerges, and it can change over time in a given country. In ...

should the Republican nominee win the

2024 presidential election This is a list of elections that were held in 2024. The National Democratic Institute also maintains a calendar of elections around the world. *2024 United Nations Security Council election *2024 national electoral calendar *2024 local electoral ...

History

In March 2021, ''

Politico ''Politico'' (stylized in all caps), known originally as ''The Politico'', is an American political digital newspaper company founded by American banker and media executive Robert Allbritton in 2007. It covers politics and policy in the Unit ...

'' reported that Stephen Miller, the former senior advisor to president

, began forming America First Legal after Trump's loss in the 2020 presidential election. According to ''Politico'', Miller consulted the

Conservative Partnership Institute The Conservative Partnership Institute (CPI) is a United States-based conservative 501(c)(3) political education and advocacy nonprofit organization. The stated purpose of CPI is the professional development of conservative staffers and elected ...

and lawyer

Ken Starr Kenneth Winston Starr (July 21, 1946 – September 13, 2022) was an American lawyer and judge who as independent counsel authored the Starr Report, which served as the basis of the impeachment of Bill Clinton. He headed an investigation of mem ...

, who authored the ''

Starr Report The ''Starr Report'', officially the Referral from Independent Counsel Kenneth W. Starr in Conformity with the Requirement of Title 28, United States Code, Section 595(c), is a Federal government of the United States, United States federal gove ...

'' that led to the

impeachment of Bill Clinton Bill Clinton, the List of presidents of the United States, 42nd president of the United States, was Federal impeachment in the United States, impeached by the United States House of Representatives of the 105th United States Congress on Decem ...

, and requested funding from

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Division. Th ...

co-owner Todd Ricketts. Miller launched America First Legal on April 6, 2021. The name refers to America First, an isolationist policy observed by the United States and reinterpreted by Trump as a political slogan. America First Legal represented white farmers in

who sought to undo debt relief for

socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers Socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers in the United States are individuals engaged in agriculture who belong to groups that have historically faced racial or ethnic prejudice, impacting their ability to acquire land, secure financing, and a ...

as part of the

American Rescue Plan Act The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, also called the COVID-19 Stimulus Package or American Rescue Plan, is a Stimulus (economics), economic stimulus bill passed by the 117th United States Congress and signed into law by President of the Unite ...

. In June 2021, judge Marcia Morales Howard issued a preliminary injunction halting the

Department of Agriculture An agriculture ministry (also called an agriculture department, agriculture board, agriculture council, or agriculture agency, or ministry of rural development) is a ministry charged with agriculture. The ministry is often headed by a minister f ...

's loan program. Judge

Matthew Kacsmaryk Matthew Joseph Kacsmaryk (; born 1977) is an American lawyer who serves as a United States district judge in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas. He was nominated to the position by President Donald Trump in 2017 ...

ruled in America First Legal's favor in November 2022 that the

Affordable Care Act The Affordable Care Act (ACA), formally known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) and informally as Obamacare, is a landmark U.S. federal statute enacted by the 111th United States Congress and signed into law by Presid ...

does not prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. Political action committee

Citizens for Sanity Citizenship is a membership and allegiance to a sovereign state. Though citizenship is often conflated with nationality in today's English-speaking world, international law does not usually use the term ''citizenship'' to refer to nationality; ...

is run by America First Legal employees. In December 2024, America First Legal published photos of

Joe Biden Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...

and his son

Hunter Biden Robert Hunter Biden (born February4, 1970) is an American attorney and businessman. He is the second son of former president Joe Biden and his first wife, Neilia Hunter Biden. Hunter Biden was a founding board member of BHR Partners, a Chine ...

meeting with Chinese businessmen and officials in 2013. The photos were obtained from the

National Archives and Records Administration The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is an independent agency of the United States government within the executive branch, charged with the preservation and documentation of government and historical records. It is also task ...

after ongoing litigation by America First Legal. The photos show Joe Biden introducing Hunter to

General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party The general secretary of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party ( zh, s=中国共产党中央委员会总书记, p=Zhōngguó Gòngchǎndǎng Zhōngyāng Wěiyuánhuì Zǒngshūjì) is the leader of the Chinese Communist Part ...

Xi Jinping Xi Jinping, pronounced (born 15 June 1953) is a Chinese politician who has been the general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and Chairman of the Central Military Commission (China), chairman of the Central Military Commission ...

, former Chinese Vice President

Li Yuanchao Li Yuanchao (born 20 November 1950) is a retired Chinese politician. He was the Vice President of China from 2013 to 2018 and the Honorary President of the Red Cross Society of China. He was a member of the Secretariat of the Chinese Communis ...

, and officials from BHR Partners. Joe Biden has stated he was not financially involved in his son's business matters.

References

External links

* * {{ProPublicaNonprofitExplorer, 862190372, America First Legal Foundation Non-profit organizations based in the United States Conservative political advocacy groups in the United States