Sarah Isgur has navigated a multifaceted career, transitioning from roles within the Republican Party and the Trump administration to becoming a prominent voice in political commentary. Her journey has been marked by both significant achievements and considerable controversy.
Early Career and Education
Isgur's career began with a strong foundation in law and political strategy. While in law school, she gained experience as a clerk for the Office of Legal Policy and several law firms, including Cooper & Kirk and Wiley Rein. Following law school, Isgur worked at the National Republican Senatorial Committee as legal counsel and clerked for Judge Edith H. Jones of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.
In 2016, Isgur was a fellow at the Harvard Institute of Politics. Before that, she was deputy campaign manager for the Carly Fiorina 2016 presidential campaign, where she oversaw the communications, policy, and digital teams.
Political Involvement
Isgur's involvement in Republican politics is extensive. She served as the political director for Texans for Ted Cruz and as a National Operations Day Advisor for Romney for President. Her role as deputy campaign manager for Carly Fiorina's presidential run in 2016 was particularly notable.
The Super PAC supporting Fiorina was called Carly for America, which was not only similar to the name of her campaign (Carly for President) but violated the ban on Super PACs using a candidate’s name. Fiornia’s campaign skirted rules against coordination by making a public Google calendar that displayed her appearances weeks in advance, and by publishing the information the Super PAC needed in a press release. The well-staffed Super PAC would then show up early to every event and do all the things usually associated with a campaign, from staging to voter information-gathering, which her meager campaign staff lacked the manpower to do. Staff from each entity would communicate, go out for drinks, and their work would intermingle. Flores herself was a staffer at the Super PAC who coincidentally ended up migrating to the campaign, which was definitely in no way coordinating its activities with the Super PAC. Ever the loyal underling, she would insist to the press it was all perfectly legal, while winking at the very obvious game being played.
Read also: The Life of Chad Everett Harris
Role in the Trump Administration
In December 2016, Isgur joined the Trump administration, initially serving as part of Jeff Sessions's confirmation team. In March 2017, she joined the Department of Justice (DOJ). As a critic of Trump's campaign, Isgur had to overcome hesitancy from the president before working in the DOJ. While at the DOJ, she served as the Director of the Office of Public Affairs.
During her time at the Department of Justice, Isgur dealt with various immigration-related proposals from the Trump administration. This began with the criticism of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, initially created by the Obama administration. After President Trump issued Executive Order 13769, commonly referred to as "The Muslim Ban", Isgur was quoted on numerous occasions regarding the legal fallout in the weeks following the executive order.
Controversies and CNN
CNN's hiring of Sarah Isgur Flores as a political editor overseeing the 2020 election sparked considerable controversy. The Democratic National Committee expressed reservations over Isgur's conservative political history and her alleged connections to a retracted Fox News story on the debunked Seth Rich conspiracy theory.
In response, Isgur denied involvement in the conspiracy theory, stating "I have not spoken about the death of Seth Rich with or to anyone except in response to questions pertaining to this lawsuit. I have not been contacted by either party or their counsel in reference to this case. There is a legitimate discussion that can be had around my future employment, but this is not part of it." CNN later assured the Democratic National Committee that Isgur would not be involved in the station's coverage of the Democratic debates.
CNN tried to get out of its contract with Isgur by invoking a "morality clause" in her contract because Justice Brett Kavanaugh had recently officiated her wedding to Scott A. Keller. Isgur told CNN that if they did, she would take her case to federal court. CNN paid out the compensation Isgur was owed in her contract.
Read also: "Married to Evil": Chad Graves
CNN bows to pressure from left, makes former GOP strategist Sarah Isgur on-air analyst instead of po
Current Role and Legal Commentary
Isgur is the main host of the legal podcast, Advisory Opinions, alongside permanent guest David French. Advisory Opinions follows Supreme Court cases and news as well as other important or unique cases in the circuit court of appeals, district courts, or occasionally state courts. Isgur is famous for starting the "buckets" metaphor among Supreme Court Justices and attorneys.
In 2024, Isgur defended Supreme Court justices' reluctance to adopt an ethics code, saying "They are already so isolated."
Personal Life
In 2011, Isgur married Chad Flores. They later divorced. In 2019 Isgur married Scott A. Keller.
Supreme Court Dynamics and Analysis
Sarah Isgur's legal expertise extends to insightful commentary on the dynamics within the Supreme Court. She has analyzed the subtle nuances in how justices decide cases, noting that the conservative bloc, while generally unified, contains internal divisions.
According to data from the scholar Dean Jens, liberal Justices Ketanji Brown Jackson, Elena Kagan, and Sonia Sotomayor each ruled with the others at least 89% of the time in the 2023 term. But levels of agreement within the conservative bloc were noticeably lower. Brett Kavanaugh agreed more frequently with Jackson (80% of the time) than with Clarence Thomas (73%). Amy Coney Barrett agreed with Kagan as frequently as she did with Samuel Alito (79% each).
Read also: Vallow-Daybell Trial: Key Evidence
Isgur highlighted a 3-3-3 model of the court: the arch-liberals (Jackson, Kagan, Sotomayor), the arch-conservatives (Alito, Gorsuch, and Thomas), and the three in between (Barrett, Kavanaugh, and Roberts).
| Bloc | Justices |
|---|---|
| Arch-Liberals | Jackson, Kagan, Sotomayor |
| Arch-Conservatives | Alito, Gorsuch, Thomas |
| In Between | Barrett, Kavanaugh, Roberts |
Popular articles:
tags: #Chad
