# SCOTUSblog's Transformation from Legal Hub to Conservative Platform > SCOTUSblog, once the Supreme Court's essential news source, now serves as a conservative platform after its founder's prison sentence. - Title: SCOTUSblog's Transformation from Legal Hub to Conservative… - Summary: SCOTUSblog, once the Supreme Court's essential news source, now serves as a conservative platform after its founder's prison sentence. SCOTUSblog shifted… - Keywords: scotusblog, tom goldstein, dispatch, supreme court, federal prison, tax evasion, shadow docket, conservative media, supreme court justices, legal journalism, brett kavanaugh, john robberts - Source: Slate Magazine — https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2026/09/supreme-court-news-what-happened-to-scotusblog.html?via=rss - Author: Jay Willis - Published: 2026-09-29T09:45:00+00:00 - Read time: 2 min - Topics: scotusblog, tom goldstein, dispatch, supreme court, federal prison, tax evasion, shadow docket, conservative media, supreme court justices, legal journalism, brett kavanaugh, john robberts ## SCOTUSblog summit SCOTUSblog hosted its annual Supreme Court summit in Washington this month, targeting legal professionals with billable-hour targets. > On the Merits Inaugural Summit ## Big Business at SCOTUSblog Boeing’s Brett Gerry and ExxonMobil’s Jeffrey Taylor described the Supreme Court as neutral decision-makers, rejecting pro- or anti-business labels. > nine justices who have well-developed, well-thought-through approaches to deciding cases ## Suncor Energy Case ExxonMobil seeks climate change liability protections in Suncor Energy v. Board of County Commissioners of Boulder County, hearing on Monday, Oct. 5. > Suncor Energy v. Board of County Commissioners of Boulder County ## SCOTUSblog's decline SCOTUSblog transformed from an indispensable Supreme Court resource to a platform for Fortune 500 companies to praise the justices. > the transformation of SCOTUSblog from an indispensable Supreme Court resource to a platform for Fortune 500 companies to praise the justices’ balls-and-strikes bona fides ## Founding of SCOTUSblog SCOTUSblog was founded in 2002 by Tom Goldstein and Amy Howe, a husband-and-wife team marketing their boutique law firm. > SCOTUSblog was founded in 2002 by Tom Goldstein and Amy Howe ## Goldstein's early career Goldstein, a mediocre college student, appeared before the justices 16 times by age 35 and was named one of GQ’s 50 most powerful people in Washington. > At age 35, Goldstein had appeared before the justices 16 times ## Early SCOTUSblog coverage SCOTUSblog provided in-depth coverage of Supreme Court cases from cert petition to opinion release, becoming a trusted resource for legal professionals. > Early on, SCOTUSblog focused on providing in-depth, Goldstein & Howe, branded coverage of cases ## SCOTUSblog's influence By 2016, SCOTUSblog was influential enough that President Barack Obama wrote a guest post vowing to nominate his replacement after Justice Antonin Scalia’s death. > after the death of Justice Antonin Scalia, President Barack Obama wrote a guest post vowing to nominate his replacement ## Goldstein's legal troubles Goldstein was convicted in 2025 of evading income taxes on gambling winnings and using law firm funds to pay gambling debts, serving a six-year prison sentence. > federal prosecutors charged Goldstein, an avid poker player, with evading income taxes on his winnings and using law firm funds to pay off gambling debts ## SCOTUSblog sold to Dispatch In April 2025, SCOTUSblog was sold to the Dispatch, a conservative outlet, which promised to maintain its brand as users have come to enjoy it. > In April 2025, the site announced that it had been sold to the Dispatch ## Conservative contributors SCOTUSblog now features Federalist Society co-founder Steven Calabresi and Brian Fitzpatrick, a former Scalia clerk. > Federalist Society co-founder Steven Calabresi ## SCOTUSblog Plus SCOTUSblog Plus, a premium subscription, debuted at $199 per year or $3,000 for a lifetime membership. > SCOTUSblog Plus, which debuted at $199 per year or a cool $3,000 for a lifetime membership ## Conservative editorial focus SCOTUSblog’s editor, Sarah Isgur, previously worked as a Trump Justice Department spokesperson and now defends the court against critics. > Sarah Isgur, who worked as a Trump Justice Department spokesperson during family separation ## SCOTUSblog's new role SCOTUSblog now serves as a conservative platform for legitimizing the Supreme Court’s conservative majority through celebrity-like treatment of justices. > SCOTUSblog is Kleenex ## Consequence for legal journalism SCOTUSblog’s shift undermines legal journalism, which is already in dire straits, by prioritizing conservative perspectives over independent analysis. > the transformation of SCOTUSblog from an indispensable Supreme Court resource to a platform for Fortune 500 companies to praise the justices’ balls-and-strikes bona fides has grim implications for the future of legal journalism, a field that is already in dire straits ## Key takeaway SCOTUSblog shifted from independent Supreme Court coverage to a conservative platform following its founder's conviction for tax evasion and gambling debts.