“If Washingtonians are being pushed around by their own government, we step in — and we fight to win.”
— Citizen Action Defense Fund
“Fearless warriors.” That’s how Brandi Kruse, a top media reporter in Seattle, describes the courageous team at Citizen Action Defense Fund (CADF). They describe themselves as “a watchdog for all Washingtonians”. We agree with both descriptions, and we count it a privilege and blessing to call them not only our Strategic Partner, but our friends. Led by Executive Director Jackson W. Maynard (pictured below), who also serves on FPIW’s Board of Directors, CADF is a premier legal advocate working out of Olympia near our state’s Capitol. They have first-hand experience at the highest levels of our state government, including making arguments before the Washington State Supreme Court (picture on left), as well as the Washington State Court of Appeals (picture on right).
Through such experiences, CADF has the personal connections in addition to the legal acumen to make a strong impact for their mission:
We hold state and local governments accountable to the law and protect the constitutional rights of every Washingtonian. We file focused, high-impact cases that defend individual freedoms, check government overreach, and keep markets free and fair.
•••••
Cases and Amicus Briefs
A summary of their work includes three major categories of what CADF fights for:
In practical terms, their mission is accomplished by essentially two things: cases and amicus briefs. The term “cases” refers to actual lawsuits, and here in this link are some examples of cases from CADF. The term “amicus briefs” refers to reports submitted to a court offering expertise and insights on key cases. (The Latin term amicus curiae is short for “friend of the court”.) Here are some examples of CADF’s amicus briefs to the US Supreme Court:
•••••
Popular Cases
One key example of their case portfolio is the lawsuit to defend the press credentials of conservative journalists Ari Hoffman, Jonathan Choe, and Brandi Kruse at the Capitol. In the video at the end of the article, you can learn more about this case and how CADF defended these top-notch journalists in our state.
Another key example of CADF’s important work is their leading legal battle against the Washington State income tax. They have hired “The Legal Dream Team” of former WA Attorney General Rob McKenna and former Supreme Court Justice and State Senator Phil Talmadge. “The income tax is clearly unconstitutional and illegal,” asserts McKenna. Such leadership by CADF resulted in their many media appearances, including being featured in the New York Post, Seattle Times, KOMO News, and King 5 News. To equip citizens and media members, CADF offers an outstanding summary of legal arguments against the income tax here.
Other key moments in CADF’s quest to defend people can be seen here, where Maynard is “in action” and making his case before the Washington State Court of Appeals, as well as here in his co-authored op-ed regarding climate data and businesses.
CADF Staff & Project 42
The team at CADF is friendly, experienced, and ready to help. If you know of a case where the CADF team might be able to help, please contact them here. As CADF says: “We are focused on Washington State, litigation is our primary tactic, and we advocate for all manner of constitutional causes.”
For context within our state, CADF is a key organization of the larger conservative team as built and supported by Project 42; that is, CADF is a “capacity group” or legal outgrowth of Project 42, an umbrella organization in our state with many groups who assist to accomplish conservative, pro-small government, economic goals. As a Strategic Partner of FPIW, Maynard and FPIW President Brad Payne (see picture below on the left) have shown a mutual respect and an excellent working relationship that will benefit both organizations — and the greater conservative cause at large in Washington — for many years to come.
You can follow and support their work on their social media channels: X, Instagram, and Facebook.