Nation
Bezos Says He May Drop Southern Poverty Law Center, “Would Like A Better” Screener For Charities
During Wednesday’s House subcommittee tech hearing, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) questioned Amazon’s usage of the radical Southern Poverty Law Center to deem eligible charities for donations, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos said he would look to alternative options.
Gaetz layed out a list of charities that focus on Christian and Jewish causes as charities unjustly labeled as “extremists” by the SPLC — to which Bezos said he accepts Gaetz’s criticism and “would like a better source if I can get it.”
One of the groups unjustly labeled as a hate group by the SPLC is the Alliance Defending Freedom, a legal group focused on defending religious liberty, the sanctity of life, and free speech. Their cases have included defending Jack Phillips, the Colorado baker sued for sticking to his religious beliefs.
Senior Counsel for Alliance Defending Freedom Jeremy Tedesco spoke to SaraACarter.com about the SPLC and Bezos’ potential switch.
“The SPLC actively lobbies corporations to harm and economically discriminate against groups and people they don’t like,” Tedesco said. “Amazon needs to stop being an active participant in a system that’s ultimately bad for everyone.”
ADF is labeled as an “extremist group” for using “‘religious liberty’ legislation and case law that will allow the denial of goods and services to LGBTQ people on the basis of religion,” according to the SPLC’s site.
ADF regularly defends mistreated groups and individuals — from nuns being forced to fund abortion to female athletes having their locker rooms infiltrated by males in the name of social justice.
Due to this label as an extremist group, Amazon does not allow customers to select ADF as a recipient of their charitable donations through Amazon Smile — a portion of the site that lets customers donate 0.5% of their purchases to different charities and organizations.
Gaetz asked the billionaire CEO why groups like Catholic Family News and the American Family Association are also excluded — the radical group also once designated world renowned brain surgeon and Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson an extremist.
“I’m just wondering why you would place your confidence in a group that seems to be so out of step and seems to take mainstream Christian doctrine and label it as hate,” Gaetz said to Bezos during a Wednesday House subcommittee hearing virtually attended by Bezos, Apple CEO Tim Cook, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, and others.
“I would like suggestions on better or additional sources,” Bezos answered. Gaetz responded saying he should “divorce” with the SPLC.
ADF’s Tedesco noted people on the left and right have said the center is “completely discredited” and that “we welcome Bezos’ recognition that this is a bad system.”
He referenced a petition by the National Center for Public Policy Research calling on Amazon to end their usage of SPLC’s opinionated conclusions.
“There is so much power in the hands of a few companies like Amazon and there is a ground swell for them to end partnerships with far left groups,” he said. “Something that exists to smear and stop people who disagree with their views is something they can’t do for much longer.”
In a unanimous decision, a three-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the federal government’s authority to deport foreign nationals in the U.S. illegally. The decision came after objections from local jurisdictions, and therefore reaffirms federal immigration enforcement capabilities, and deals a blow to sanctuary policies aimed at obstructing deportations.
The case centered on a 2019 executive order issued by King County Executive Dow Constantine, which barred the use of King County International Airport, near Seattle, for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) deportation charter flights. The airport is adjacent to a major ICE operational base in Seattle, writes The Center Square.
Constantine’s order sought to prevent airport services from supporting ICE deportation flights, citing concerns about family separations, racial disparities in enforcement, and other human rights issues. The federal government, under the Trump administration, sued, arguing that the order violated the Supremacy Clause of the Constitution, the intergovernmental immunity doctrine, and a WWII-era Instrument of Transfer agreement allowing federal use of the airport.
A district court ruled in favor of the federal government, and King County appealed. Writing for the Ninth Circuit, Judge Daniel Bress, joined by Judges Michael Hawkins and Richard Clinton, affirmed the lower court’s decision.
The panel ruled that Constantine’s order improperly targeted the federal government and its contractors, violating the intergovernmental immunity doctrine by “singling out the federal government and its contractors for unfavorable treatment.” The court further found that the order increased ICE’s operational costs and created imminent risks of further injury, thereby giving the federal government standing to sue.
Additionally, the judges upheld the claim that the order violated the Instrument of Transfer under the Surplus Property Act of 1944, which explicitly allows federal use of the airport.
Constantine defended the order as consistent with King County’s commitment to inclusivity and human rights. He argued that deportations conflict with the region’s values, including protecting families and promoting equity. However, the Ninth Circuit held that such ideological arguments could not override federal law and constitutional principles.
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