Prior to his role as House Speaker, Mike Johnson worked as a private attorney, actively opposing LGBTQ+ rights, and representing Louisiana in cases involving same-sex marriage and
intra-family adoptions, according to a new report by the progressive watchdog group Accountable.US, shared with USA TODAY.
The cases in which Johnson participated as an attorney were rendered moot following the Supreme Court's legalization of same-sex marriage in 2015.
Johnson's involvement in cases opposing LGBTQ+ rights includes representing Louisiana in defending the state's same-sex marriage ban and attempting to prevent same-sex couples from appearing together on a child's birth certificate.
Although it was previously known that Johnson worked for the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF), now named the Alliance Defending Freedom, these cases from his private attorney years have received less attention.
The report by Accountable.US highlights Johnson's legal background and raises questions about his priorities as House Speaker, with Caroline Ciccone, the organization's president, suggesting that his leadership seeks to "force a far-right agenda on everyday Americans."
Johnson's office has not yet responded to a request for comment from USA TODAY.
In Louisiana, the state attorney general can collaborate with private counsel to handle cases. Johnson's private law firm, "Law Offices of Mike Johnson, LLC," and another firm he worked for, "Kitchens Law Firm," were listed alongside his name in court filings related to cases involving state officials, indicating that he was enlisted by Louisiana to represent the state in those matters.
One of the cases involving Johnson dates back to January 2014 when a Louisiana court approved an intra-family adoption to grant parental rights to Angela Costanza for her wife's biological son, Chastity Brewer. However, in March 2014, the state attorney general, Buddy Caldwell, intervened to temporarily halt the adoption, arguing that he was not informed and given adequate time to respond to the case. A state appeals court sided with the attorney general, placing a temporary hold on the family's adoption.
Louisiana's stance was that allowing the intrafamily adoption would acknowledge the family's same-sex marriage, contravening the state's ban on same-sex marriage.
The case proceeded to a state district court, which ruled in favor of the family, ordering the adoption. However, the state appealed the case, aiming to defend its same-sex marriage ban.
A separate case involving Johnson pertained to his representation of Louisiana, along with the Kitchens Law Firm, in defense of the state's ban on same-sex marriage against seven same-sex couples seeking marriage rights. A district court upheld Louisiana's ban on same-sex marriage, but the case reached the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.
Both cases became irrelevant following the Supreme Court's declaration that same-sex marriage bans were unconstitutional.
Before his tenure as House Speaker, Johnson was relatively unknown outside of Louisiana and Washington. As a staunch social conservative, he voted against codifying same-sex marriage and co-sponsored federal legislation aimed at limiting abortion rights.
Previously, Johnson was recognized for his role as a lawyer and spokesperson for the ADF, where he advocated for conservative social issues. In the mid-2000s, Johnson wrote articles in the Shreveport Times, critiquing homosexuality as "inherently unnatural" and labeling it a "dangerous lifestyle."
Accountable.US's report outlines various cases Johnson worked on during his time with ADF, including those related to LGBTQ+ rights, abortion rights, and religion. In 2003, Johnson represented clients pushing for the placement of a two-and-a-half-ton granite monument with the Ten Commandments in the Alabama State Judicial Building, a case ultimately ruled against by the U.S. Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals, citing violations of the First Amendment's Establishment Clause. Photo by Office of Speaker Mike Johnson, Wikimedia commons.