Edwin Meese III, the former U.S. attorney general and one of the most influential conservative legal figures of the modern era, has endorsed a new legal center out of Advancing American Freedom (AAF), marking a major blow to the once-dominant conservative think tank as it reels from internal scandal, board resignations, and a widening exodus of senior staff.
Meese, 93, has served for decades as a guiding force at Heritage Foundation and lent his stature as one of President Ronald Reagan’s closest advisers to the institution’s legal mission. While Meese remains at Heritage, he has endorsed a competing legal center bearing his name—specifically, AAF’s Edwin Meese III Institute for the Rule of Law.
On Monday, Meese announced that he was now endorsing this new legal center, which had moved to AAF, a conservative think tank backed by former Vice President Mike Pence. In a statement, Meese said he was proud that AAF’s institute had found a home and expressed confidence in its future impact on the conservative legal movement.
“I am confident that the lawyers and staff in the Meese Institute will continue to play a leading role in advancing the conservative legal movement in terms of their scholarship, and by working with allies to achieve our mutual objectives, educating the general public about important legal issues, helping to train the next generation of conservative lawyers, and defending the Constitution and rule of law,” Meese said.
Meese’s decision follows the resignation of three Heritage board members, the exit of multiple senior fellows, and mounting controversy surrounding Heritage President Kevin Roberts.
A spokesperson for Heritage said in a statement that Meese remains a distinguished fellow emeritus at Heritage. “The Edwin Meese III Center for Legal and Judicial Studies at Heritage still exists. AAF started a Meese Institute, but Heritage’s is not gone,” the spokesperson said.
Heritage had touted the interim chief of the Meese center would be Charles “Cully” Stimson, but Stimson resigned from Heritage within a day of the announcement.
Meese was one of the central architects of Reagan-era conservatism, serving as White House counselor, deputy chief of staff, and ultimately attorney general from 1985 to 1988. He was instrumental in shaping originalist legal theory, the conservative judicial pipeline, and the modern alliance between the conservative movement and the federal judiciary.
At Heritage, Meese has long served as a moral and intellectual anchor, particularly through his legal center. His decision to endorse AAF’s institute, insiders say, deeply undermines confidence in the institution.
“Ed Meese is synonymous with the credibility of conservative legal institutions. Losing him is seismic.”
The announcement comes just days after AAF revealed it had hired three senior Heritage leaders—John Malcolm, Richard Stern, and Kevin Dayaratna, Ph.D.—along with members of their teams. Malcolm, who previously served as vice president of Heritage’s Institute for Constitutional Government and director of the Meese Center, will establish the Edwin Meese III Institute for the Rule of Law at AAF. Stern, Heritage’s former economic policy chief, will lead the Plymouth Institute for Free Enterprise, while Dayaratna will build a new Center for Statistical Modeling & Scientific Analysis.
Meese praised the move, saying AAF “has already established itself as a leader in the conservative movement.” Pence welcomed the additions, calling them “principled conservative scholars” with “a deep commitment to the Constitution and the conservative movement.”
The shake-up comes as Heritage continues to face fallout from a scandal involving Roberts, which has strained relations with donors, allies, and staff. After Roberts failed to criticize or condemn Tucker Carlson for promoting antisemitism, Heritage has found itself in crisis as donors and board supporters continue to flee the organization.
In recent months, three board members resigned, and multiple senior fellows quietly exited the organization as Roberts has refused to step down despite multiple calls across the conservative movement that he resign. Once considered the preeminent conservative think tank in Washington, Heritage is now facing competition from a growing ecosystem of conservative policy and advocacy groups—many of them led by former Heritage officials.
AAF President Tim Chapman said the organization is “building a team of principled conservatives who will fight for America’s future,” adding that the new hires would “shape the future of the conservative movement.”
