The Powell Memo, the Supreme Court, and the ruling-class counteroffensive (liberationschool.org)

đź”— https://www.liberationschool.org/powell-memo-supreme-court-counteroffensive/
Posted on Apr 6, 2023

🧠 Overview & Context

In this July 2023 article for Liberation School, Jaan Laaman examines the Powell Memorandum as a foundational text in the U.S. ruling class’s ideological and institutional counteroffensive against the gains of the 1960s–70s liberation movements. The piece argues that the Supreme Court has become a central vehicle for this project.

⚖️ Powell Memo as a Ruling-Class Blueprint

  • The 1971 Lewis Powell Memo, authored for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, warned of a perceived crisis of capitalism and urged a broad-based strategy to reassert corporate and conservative dominance.
  • The memo helped galvanize efforts to build a network of right-wing think tanks, legal organizations (like the Federalist Society), and media outlets.

🏛️ Supreme Court as a Weapon

  • The article argues that the Supreme Court has been intentionally transformed into a reactionary instrument for corporate and elite interests.
  • Recent rulings—especially those overturning Roe v. Wade and gutting labor protections—are presented as expressions of a long-term counterrevolution rooted in Powell’s vision.

🧩 The Broader Strategy

  • Laaman emphasizes how this counteroffensive extends beyond the judiciary: it includes education, media, politics, and finance.
  • The intent is to lock in minority rule, protect wealth, and suppress working-class power, especially among Black, Brown, and Indigenous communities.

đź“Ł Call to Action

  • The piece concludes by calling for mass organization, ideological clarity, and militant activism to resist the counterrevolution and reclaim the democratic gains of prior movements.

“The Powell Memo was nothing less than a call to arms by the ruling class.” — Jaan Laaman

đź“Ž Citation

Laaman, J. (2023, July 5). The Powell Memo, the Supreme Court, and the ruling-class counteroffensive. Liberation School. Retrieved from https://www.liberationschool.org/powell-memo-supreme-court-counteroffensive/
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