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Judicial Watch, Inc. is a conservative, non-partisan educational foundation, which promotes transparency, accountability and integrity in government, politics and the law.

Judicial Watch, Inc. is a conservative, non-partisan educational foundation, which promotes transparency, accountability and integrity in government, politics and the law.

Because no one
is above the law!

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About Judicial Watch

  • Mission
  • Investigations
  • Legal
  • Board
  • Staff
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  • A Message From President Tom Fitton

    Judicial Watch, Inc.is a conservative, non-partisan educational foundation, which promotes transparency, accountability and integrity in government, politics and the law. Through its educational endeavors, Judicial Watch advocates high standards of ethics and morality in our nation’s public life and seeks to ensure that political and judicial officials do not abuse the powers entrusted to them by the American people. Judicial Watch fulfills its educational mission through litigation, investigations, and public outreach.

    The motto of Judicial Watch is “Because no one is above the law”. To this end, Judicial Watch uses the open records or freedom of information laws and other tools to investigate and uncover misconduct by government officials and litigation to hold to account politicians and public officials who engage in corrupt activities.

    Litigation and the civil discovery process not only uncover information for the education of the American people on anti-corruption issues, but can also provide a basis for civil authorities to criminally prosecute corrupt officials. Judicial Watch seeks to ensure high ethical standards in the judiciary through monitoring activities and the use of the judicial ethics process to hold judges to account.

    Judicial Watch’s investigation, legal, and judicial activities provide the basis for strong educational outreach to the American people. Judicial Watch’s public education programs include speeches, opinion editorials (op-eds), publications, educational conferences, media outreach, radio and news television appearances, and direct radio outreach through informational commercials and public service announcements.

    Through its Open Records Project, Judicial Watch also provides training and legal services to other conservatives concerning how to effectively use the Freedom of Information Act and other open records laws to achieve conservative goals of accountability and openness in government.

    Through its publication The Verdict and occasional special reports, Judicial Watch educates the public about abuses and misconduct by political and judicial officials, and advocates for the need for an ethical, law abiding and moral civic culture.

    Judicial Watch also pursues this educational effort through this Internet site where many of the open records documents, legal filings, and other educational materials are made available to the public and media. This educational effort, which includes direct mailings to millions of Americans, educates the public about operations of government and the judiciary and increases public awareness if corruption and misconduct exists.

    Warm regards,
    Tom Fitton Signature
    Tom Fitton

    President, Judicial Watch

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    Judicial Watch Investigations Team

    Chris Farrell

    Director of Investigations & Research, Board Member

    Christopher J. Farrell joined Judicial Watch in 1999 as the organization’s Director of Investigations & Research, and has been a member of the Board of Directors since September 2003. Chris is a native of Long Island, New York. He was a Distinguished Military Graduate from Fordham University with a B.A. in History, whereupon he accepted a Regular Army Commission and served as a Military Intelligence Officer – specializing in Counterintelligence and Human Intelligence.

    Chris is a graduate of the Military Intelligence Officers Basic and Advanced Courses, the U.S. Army Advanced Counterintelligence Training Course, the Combined Arms Services Staff School of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, the Defense Intelligence Agency’s Military Operations Training Course, and the Haus Rissen Institut für Politik und Wirtschaft in Hamburg, Germany. He is a specialist in national security matters, specializing in unconventional warfare and terrorism.

    Following command and staff assignments that included three tours of duty in the Federal Republic of Germany, and one tour at Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe, Chris returned to civilian life as a contractor to the defense and intelligence communities. He also provided management and training consulting services to non-profit organizations, and was active in the establishment of a small, private, co-ed Christian high school where he both taught and served as director.

    Chris has appeared on numerous national TV and radio shows, and has authored dozens of articles. He contributed a chapter on terrorism to Dr. Irwin Redlener’s book “Americans at Risk” (Alfred A. Knopf: New York, 2006). Chris maintains a busy lecture schedule on both government corruption issues and intelligence matters. He served as a Senior Staff Associate of Columbia University’s National Center for Disaster Preparedness at the Mailman School of Public Health (2005 – 2008).

    Chris is a Distinguished Senior Fellow at the Gatestone Institute. He was an adjunct professor at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia (2013 – 2018). Chris is a member of the Association of Former Intelligence Officers; the Society of Professional Journalists; Investigative Reporters and Editors; the National Military Intelligence Association; and is a constituent member of the State Department’s Overseas Security Advisory Council. Chris serves as the Judicial Watch main representative to United Nations Headquarters in New York.

    Sean Dunagan

    Bill Marshall

    William F. Marshall is a Senior Investigator for Judicial Watch. Bill was raised in Queens, New York, and graduated with honors from St. John’s University in Jamaica, New York with a B.A. in Government and Politics, and an M.A. in International Affairs from American University in Washington, DC. He served as an Intelligence Analyst with the Drug Enforcement Administration. He was then a Senior Investigator with the Investigative Group International, President of the Investigations Division of Armor Holdings North America, and co-founder of the international investigations firm GlobalSource LLC. He then founded the investigations firm Veritas Intelligence LLC. He joined Judicial Watch in 2013 as a Senior Investigator.

    Geoff Lyon

    Geoff Lyon is an Investigative Counsel who screens and performs Triage upon all incoming Email/Voicemail/ as well as Snail-Mail Requests for Legal Assistance.  If deemed appropriate upon his review, Substantive Requests are forwarded to Judicial Watch Directors and Other Branch Heads. As an Investigative Counsel, Mr. Lyon also researches and formulates litigation strategy/tactics with respect to Veterans and other meritorious Petitioners.

    Kate Bailey

    Create and file open records requests with federal and state agencies, review and analyze records received for public distribution, and coordinate with Judicial Watch attorneys to identify requests for FOIA litigation.  Administer the day-to-day FOIA operations, primarily through tracking ongoing requests.

    Kirsti Jespersen

    Kirsti Jespersen is an Investigator who initiates, tracks, and analyzes the results of FOIA requests, performing deep research tasks for ongoing legal cases. Ms. Jespersen is a primary in-house observer and report-writer for GTMO detainee procedures in association with the Judicial Watch International Program (https://www.judicialwatch.org/public-education-the-international-program/) – established pursuant to the United Nations Department of Public Information mission.

     

     

    Mark Spencer

    Since February 2012, Mark Spencer has been the Southwest Projects Coordinator for Judicial Watch, Inc.  He has lived in Phoenix Arizona since 1975, graduated with honors with a finance degree from Northern Arizona University in 1985, met his wife Shannon in 1986 on a Summer Project with Campus Crusade for Christ in Bangkok, Thailand, and was the top overall police recruit from the Phoenix Regional Police Academy in 1987.  In 1993 Mark completed his graduate degree in exegetical theology from Western Conservative Baptist Seminary.  During his police career he received the Phoenix Police Department’s Medal of Merit, the Police Chief’s Unit Award and the Protect & Serve community leadership award from RequireThePrior.org.  For fourteen years Mark was an executive board member of the largest police association in Arizona, the Phoenix Law Enforcement Association (PLEA).  He was the president of PLEA from 2007 until 2011 and, along with the PLEA board of trustees, served over 2,300 rank-and-file Phoenix Police Officers and Detectives.  In July 2009, the Arizona Republic reported that Mark, in “his first two years as union president…earned…a reputation as a harsh critic of police management and a relentless advocate for Phoenix patrol officers.”  Mark has been interviewed by local, international (CNN), and national (Fox National News) cable news outlets, has been quoted in numerous print publications (The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Nation, The Arizona Republic, Phoenix Magazine) and has participated on radio talk shows across the country:  topics discussed included illegal immigration, police suicide, border violence, and police management pension violations.  He has served in both an adjunct and guest faculty position at Arizona Christian University, Phoenix Seminary, Paradise Valley Community College and Glendale Community College.  While still a sworn first-responder, he partnered with F.A.I.R. (Federation for American Immigration Reform) and Judicial Watch in reference to front-line law enforcement perspectives on illegal immigration and government corruption.  His role as the voice of the largest police association in Arizona garnered him the title as being one of “three of the most polarizing figures in Arizona politics” by the Phoenix New Times in 2011.   His retirement from the Phoenix Police Department in January 2012 ended a twenty-five-year career in which Mark and the PLEA team cultivated powerful community partnerships and facilitated unprecedented bipartisan support for rights of rank-and-file Arizona law enforcement.  Mark is the author of A Moment In Timeand is the founder and co-director of Bema Investments (www.bemainvestments.org), a non-profit corporation which teaches Judeo-Christian leadership principles and facilitates charitable outreach efforts.  He currently serves as the chaplain of the National Border Patrol Council (NBPC) which represents over 17,000 Border Patrol agents.

    Patrick Francescon

    Judicial Watch Board

    Thomas Fitton

    President, Board Member, Officer

    Tom Fitton is the President of Judicial Watch, the public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption. Founded in 1994, Judicial Watch seeks to ensure government and judicial officials act ethically and do not abuse the powers entrusted to them by the American public.With 20 years of experience in conservative public policy, Tom Fitton has helped lead Judicial Watch since 1998 and overseen its tremendous growth and success in recent years. Under Fitton’s leadership, Judicial Watch was named one of Washington’s top ten most effective government watchdog organizations by The Hill newspaper.

    Mr. Fitton provides Judicial Watch with strategic guidance and leadership on Judicial Watch’s comprehensive efforts to fight government corruption. He is a nationally recognized expert on government corruption, immigration enforcement, congressional and judicial ethics, and open government.

    A former talk radio and television host and analyst, Tom is well known across the country as a national spokesperson for the conservative cause. He has been quoted in TIME, Vanity Fair, The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Associated Press, The Los Angeles Times, The New York Post, and most every other major newspaper in the country. He has also appeared on ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, FOX News Channel, C-SPAN and MSNBC.

    Mr. Fitton has authored numerous articles such as “Judicial Activism Hurts our Courts,” “What Bill Clinton Knew About bin Laden,” “Following Terrorism’s Money Trail,” “Senate Abandons Judicial Nominees,” “Every Town is a Border Town,” “Obama’s Records Problem” and “Jesse Jackson Exposed.” Judicial Watch also publishes the monthly 375,000+ circulation Verdict newsletter and runs the cutting-edge Internet site JudicialWatch.org, which includes the oft-cited Corruption Chronicles blog. Mr. Fitton gained national attention as a political analyst, previously working for America’s Voice and National Empowerment Television. He is a former employee of the International Policy Forum, the Leadership Institute, and Accuracy in Media.Mr. Fitton holds a B.A. in English from George Washington University.

    Paul J. Orfanedes

    Director of Litigation, Board Member, Officer

    Paul Orfanedes heads Judicial Watch’s Litigation Department and has been with Judicial Watch since its inception. Paul is a distinguished civil litigator who has argued in front of the Supreme Court and in the federal appeal courts on behalf of Judicial Watch and its clients.As Director of Litigation, he has been a spokesperson for Judicial Watch with his legal commentary appearing in major radio and print media outlets. In addition to managing the day-to-day operations of the Legal Department, Paul is Corporate Secretary and Treasurer of Judicial Watch. He is also member of the Board of Directors.Paul is a native of Illinois. He graduated from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1986. He received his Juris Doctorate from American University in 1990.

    Chris Farrell

    Director of Investigations & Research, Board Member

    Christopher J. Farrell joined Judicial Watch in 1999 as the organization’s Director of Investigations & Research, and has been a member of the Board of Directors since September 2003. Chris is a native of Long Island, New York. He was a Distinguished Military Graduate from Fordham University with a B.A. in History, whereupon he accepted a Regular Army Commission and served as a Military Intelligence Officer – specializing in Counterintelligence and Human Intelligence.

    Chris is a graduate of the Military Intelligence Officers Basic and Advanced Courses, the U.S. Army Advanced Counterintelligence Training Course, the Combined Arms Services Staff School of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, the Defense Intelligence Agency’s Military Operations Training Course, and the Haus Rissen Institut für Politik und Wirtschaft in Hamburg, Germany. He is a specialist in national security matters, specializing in unconventional warfare and terrorism.

    Following command and staff assignments that included three tours of duty in the Federal Republic of Germany, and one tour at Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe, Chris returned to civilian life as a contractor to the defense and intelligence communities. He also provided management and training consulting services to non-profit organizations, and was active in the establishment of a small, private, co-ed Christian high school where he both taught and served as director.

    Chris has appeared on numerous national TV and radio shows, and has authored dozens of articles. He contributed a chapter on terrorism to Dr. Irwin Redlener’s book “Americans at Risk” (Alfred A. Knopf: New York, 2006). Chris maintains a busy lecture schedule on both government corruption issues and intelligence matters. He served as a Senior Staff Associate of Columbia University’s National Center for Disaster Preparedness at the Mailman School of Public Health (2005 – 2008).

    Chris is a Distinguished Senior Fellow at the Gatestone Institute. He was an adjunct professor at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia (2013 – 2018). Chris is a member of the Association of Former Intelligence Officers; the Society of Professional Journalists; Investigative Reporters and Editors; the National Military Intelligence Association; and is a constituent member of the State Department’s Overseas Security Advisory Council. Chris serves as the Judicial Watch main representative to United Nations Headquarters in New York.

    Judicial Watch Staff Team

     

    Judicial Watch Directors/Officers

    • Thomas Fitton – President, Board Member, Officer
    • Paul Orfanedes – Director of Litigation, Board Member, Officer
    • Chris Farrell – Director of Investigations & Research, Board Member

    Legal

    • Paul Orfanedes – Director of Litigation
    • Robert Sticht – Senior Counsel
    • Jason Aldrich – Senior Attorney
    • Michael Bekesha – Senior Attorney
    • Lauren Burke – Senior Attorney
    • Ramona Cotca – Senior Attorney
    • Eric Lee – Attorney
    • James Peterson – Senior Attorney
    • Bob Popper – Director, Election Law Program
    • T. Russell Nobile – Senior Attorney
    • Christina Rotaru – Paralegal
    • Brooke Paz – Paralegal
    • Meredith DiLiberto – Senior Attorney
    • Kathryn Blankenberg – Attorney

    Investigations

    • Chris Farrell – Director of Investigations
    • Sean Dunagan – Senior Investigator
    • Bill Marshall – Senior Investigator
    • Chris Nelson – Senior Investigator
    • Geoff Lyon – Investigative Counsel
    • Kate Bailey – FOIA Program Manager
    • Kirsti Jespersen – Investigator
    • Mark Spencer – Southwest Project Coordinator
    • Patrick Francescon – Investigator
    • Irene Garcia – Investigative Reporter
    • Micah Morrison – Chief Investigative Reporter

    To learn more about the documents we have uncovered and our current investigations, visit the Investigative Bulletin.

    Communications

    • Jill Farrell – Director of Public Affairs
    • Amelia Koehn – Public Affairs Coordinator
    • Tatiana Venn – Social Media Manager
    • Matt Miano – Broadcast Coordinator
    • Troy Donovan – Broadcast Associate
    • Shawn Ouellette – Broadcast Associate

    To find out more about our communications activities, visit the Press Room and our Facebook Page. Also make sure to subscribe to our Youtube page, and follow us on Instagram and Twitter.

    Membership & Development

    • Steve Andersen – Director of Development
    • Meagan Pfalzer – Director of Development Operations
    • John Albertella – Director of Direct Marketing
    • Candice Velazquez – Manager of Planned and Major Gift Operations
    • Angel Azar – Regional Development Manager
    • Jim Petruzzello – Regional Development Manager
    • Steve Sheldon – Regional Development Manager
    • Scott Walsh – Regional Development Manager
    • Ariana Azizkeya – Direct Response Marketing Manager
    • Arleen Godfrey – Direct Marketing Production & Traffic Manager
    • Tim Wathen – Direct Marketing Production & Traffic Manager
    • James Campbell – Digital Fundraising Manager
    • David Collins – Grants Manager
    • Elise Schubert – Development Coordinator
    • Claire Gute – Development Coordinator

    Click here to learn more about becoming a member of Judicial Watch. Interested in planned giving? Contact our Development Department at 1-888-JW-Ethic (1-888-593-8442) or by e-mail – [email protected]

    Administration & Finance

    • Tim Gray – Controller
    • Stephen Wilson – Financial Operations Manager
    • Janice Rurup – Special Assistant to the President
    • Darlene Robinson – Accounts Payable Clerk
    • Tiara Darby – HR/Operations Manager
    • Danielle Mundy – HR/Operations Assistant

    Careers

    Thank you for your interest in working for Judicial Watch. We currently have openings in the following position(s):

    ___________________________________________________________________________________________

    Paralegal

    TITLE:                      Paralegal                                               

    DEPARTMENT:      Legal

    REPORTS TO:         Director of Litigation

    STATUS:                   Exempt – Full Time

    SUMMARY:

    Judicial Watch, Inc. is looking for a paralegal to work closely with its 12 attorneys on federal lawsuits brought under Civil Rights statutes, the Freedom of Information Act, the Privacy Act, the Administrative Procedure Act, and the National Voter Registration Act as well as state lawsuits on behalf of taxpayers challenging the constitutionality or legality of government action.

    This is an in-person position.  The candidate must be a college graduate who welcomes the opportunity to work for a leading nonprofit in the Conservative Movement.  Judicial Watch will strongly consider a candidate who might attend law school in 2-3 years. The candidate should have strong research and writing skills, be proficient in Microsoft Office, and is self-motivated. If the candidate is a recent graduate, the candidate should have completed at least two internships during college.

    RESPONSIBILITIES

    1 . Will conduct factual research and investigations related to current or future litigation.

    2. Will submit and track public records requests and administrative appeals.

    3. Will review and analyze document productions.

    4. Will proofread, cite-check, and file legal briefs.

    5. Will assist the Legal Department with other projects and deliverables, as necessary.

    6. Other duties as assigned.

    Judicial Watch provides employer-funded health insurance (medical, dental, vision, and prescription drug), life insurance, long- and short-term disability insurance, and eligibility to participate in our 403(b) retirement program.

    Please send a cover letter, resume, and a writing sample (no more than 5 pages) to Tiara Darby at [email protected]. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.

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