Johnson was a leader for Alliance Defending Freedom, which wrote the abortion ban that led to the downfall of “Roe”
Johnson was the former senior spokesperson for the hate group Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), an influential group among the Christian right that has been pushing its extremist right-wing agenda across the U.S. through the courts.
ADF has been involved in a number of landmark court decisions aimed at taking away peoples’ rights and is well-connected among the right. The group wrote the abortion ban in Mississippi that was ultimately responsible for the downfall of Roe v. Wade. It represented a client in a case parallel to Burwell v. Hobby Lobby, which set a precedent allowing corporations to reject employees’ insurance coverage for contraception. And it handpicked the plaintiff in this year’s 303 Creative LLC v. Elenis, in which the Supreme Court held that it is a constitutionally protected right to discriminate against LGBTQ people in private businesses.
ADF’s anti-LGBTQ and anti-abortion sentiments have pervaded Johnson’s work in the House, where he has served since 2017. He was a lead sponsor of a federal “Don’t Say Gay” bill, introduced in the House last year, aimed at suppressing discussion of gender or sexuality during events for children, and was one of the 169 Republicans who voted against the Respect for Marriage Act, which contains federal protections for gay and interracial couples. His voting record on abortion has been ranked an “A+” by dark money anti-abortion group Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, with a “perfect” voting record, according to the group.
Johnson is also a leading election denier. He led the Texas amicus brief, signed by 126 Republicans, to have the results of the 2020 presidential election overturned in key swing states, and was a key architect of Republicans’ strategy to object to the certification of Joe Biden’s victory, presenting a plan to fellow Republicans to claim that state changes to voting procedures during the pandemic invalidated results