“Complete” List of Coulter Plagiarism Allegations

Behold, the list.

Since we started covering the plagiarism accusations leveled at Ann Coulter, a number of readers have asked to see the alleged examples firsthand. So we have tried to compile all known examples of plagiarism that have been alleged to be in Ann Coulter’s work.

This list does not include instances of factual distortion or wrongly-cited material. The following list focuses on those examples, identified by the New York Post and others, in which it appears Coulter has, without attribution, used another writer’s words, or a substantial portion of another person’s unique research.

Another challenge: some alleged examples of plagiarism cited conflicting source material. For instance, some of the outlandish NEA grant recipients Coulter mentioned in a 2005 column had been listed in a 1993 article by someone else, but that article appears to have been based on a 1991 Heritage Foundation document. In these cases, we have opted to reference the earliest known version of the work, assuming it would be the original.

To be clear, none of the examples shown below were discovered by TPMmuckraker.com. They were identified by the blogger Rude Pundit, Raw Story, plagiarism expert John Barrie and the New York Post, writer David Chapman and the Boston Globe. In each case, after the alleged example of plagiarism we’ve noted the party who originally identified the similar or identical passages. In this list we’re not making any judgments. We’re putting the textual evidence before you. You decide.

We’d like to keep this list as complete as possible, so if there are other examples not included, please let us know.

COLUMNS

“Read My Lips: No New Liberals,” Aug. 5, 2005

Example 1: “As New Hampshire attorney general in 1977, Souter opposed the repeal of an 1848 state law that made abortion a crime even though Roe v. Wade had made it irrelevant, predicting that if the law were repealed, New Hampshire ‘would become the abortion mill of the United States.‘”

Alleged Source: “In 1977, Souter as state attorney general spoke out against a proposed repeal of an 1848 state law that made abortion a crime — even though the measure had been largely invalidated by the Supreme Court in Roe. vs. Wade… ‘Quite apart from the fact that I don’t think unlimited abortions ought to be allowed . . . I presume we would become the abortion mill of the United States[.]‘” (“Liberals Leery as New Clues Surface on Souters Views,” Los Angeles Times, Sept. 9, 1990)
(Identified by John Barrie/New York Post)

Example 2: “He filed a brief arguing that the state should not have to pay for poor women to have abortions — or, as the brief called it, “the killing of unborn children” and the “destruction of fetuses.” At this point the only people more opposed to abortion than Souter were still in vitro.”

Alleged Source: “The year before, Souter had filed a legal brief arguing that the state should not have to pay for abortions for poor women. Abortion was referred to as “the killing of unborn children” and the “destruction of fetuses.”” An assistant attorney general has said that he, not Souter, wrote the brief. (Ibid)
(Identified by John Barrie/New York Post)

Example 3: “Also as state attorney general, Souter defended the governor’s practice of lowering the flag to half-staff on Good Friday, arguing that “lowering of the flag to commemorate the death of Christ no more establishes a religious position on the part of the state or promotes a religion than the lowering of the flag for the death of Hubert Humphrey promotes the cause of the Democratic Party in New Hampshire.”

Alleged Source: “In 1978, Gov. Meldrim Thomson exhorted state employees to ‘reverently observe Good Friday’ and ordered flags flown at half staff to ‘memorialize the death of Christ on the Cross.’ A federal judge struck down the order as a violation of the First Amendment’s ban on an ‘establishment of religion.’ Souter appealed, arguing that Jesus Christ is a ‘historical’ figure. ‘The lowering of the flag to commemorate the death of Christ no more establishes a religious position on the part of the state or promotes a religion than the lowering of the flag for the death of Humbert Humphrey promotes the cause of the Democratic Party in New Hampshire,’ Souter wrote.” (Ibid)
(Identified by John Barrie/New York Post)

Example 4: “Souter vowed in a newspaper interview to ‘do everything we can to uphold the law’ allowing public school children to recite the Lord’s Prayer every day.”

Alleged Source: “In 1975, the New Hampshire Legislature gave elementary schools the authority to recite ‘the traditional Lord’s Prayer’ each day, despite earlier Supreme Court decisions barring such activity. In a newspaper interview, Souter promised to ‘do everything we can to uphold the law,’ but a federal judge struck it down as ‘patently and obviously unconstitutional.'” (Ibid)
(Identified by John Barrie/New York Post)

Example 5: “As a justice on the New Hampshire Supreme Court, Souter dismissively referred to abortion as something ‘necessarily permitted under Roe v. Wade’ — not exactly the ‘fundamental right’ he seems to think it is now.”

Alleged Source: “In 1986, the New Hampshire Supreme Court upheld a woman’s right to sue her doctor because he did not test for potential birth defects and advise her of the option of abortion. In a concurring statement, Souter referred to abortion not as a fundamental right, but as being “necessarily permitted under Roe vs. Wade[.]” (Ibid)
(Identified by John Barrie/New York Post)

Example 6: “In a private speech — not a brief on behalf of a client — Souter attacked affirmative action, calling it ‘affirmative discrimination.‘”

Alleged Source: “In a May, 1976, speech reported in a newspaper account, Souter said he opposed affirmative action, calling it ‘affirmative discrimination.‘” (Ibid)
(Identified by John Barrie/New York Post)

Example 7: Souter openly proclaimed his support for the ‘original intent’ in interpreting the Constitution.

Alleged Source: “Souter has declared himself a believer in the strict ‘original intent’ view of interpreting the Constitution.” (Ibid)
(Identified by John Barrie/New York Post)

“Thou Shalt Not Commit Religion,” June 29, 2005

Example 1: “A photo of a woman breastfeeding an infant, titled ‘Jesus Sucks.‘ — NEA-funded performance”

Alleged Source: “One photo showed a woman breastfeeding an infant; it was titled Jesus Sucks.’” (“Heritage Backgrounder No. 803: The National Endowment for the Arts: Misusing Taxpayers’ Money,” Jan. 18, 1991. The Heritage Foundation (not available online))
(Identified by John Barrie/New York Post)

Example 2: “A photo of a newborn infant with its mouth open titled to suggest the infant was available for oral sex. — NEA-funded performance”

Alleged Source: “The title of a photo of a newborn infant with its mouth open suggested the infant was available for oral sex.” (Ibid.)
(Identified by John Barrie/New York Post)

Example 3: “‘F—- a Fetus’ poster showing an unborn baby with the caption: ‘For all you folks who consider a fetus more valuable than a woman, have a fetus cook for you, have a fetus affair, go to a fetus’ house to ease your sexual frustration.’ — NEA-funded performance”

Alleged Source: “Sister Serpents Fuck a Fetus poster depicting an unborn baby with the heading ‘For all you folks who consider a fetus more valuable than a woman, have a fetus cook for you, have a fetus affair, go to a fetus’ house to ease your sexual frustration[.]’” (Ibid.)
(Identified by John Barrie/New York Post)

Example 4: “Performance of giant bloody tampons, satanic bunnies, three-foot feces and vibrators. — NEA-funded performance”

Alleged Source: “Props such as giant bloody tampons, satanic bunnies, three-foot turds, and dildos.” (Ibid.)
(Identified by John Barrie/New York Post)

Example 5: “A novel depicting the sexual molestation of a group of 10 children in a pedophile’s garage, including acts of bestiality, with the children commenting on how much they enjoyed the pedophilia. — NEA-funded publisher”

Alleged Source: “Experimental novel titled Saturday Night at San Marcos relates the sexual molestation of a group of 10 children in a pedophile’s garage, including acts of bestiality. The children relate how much they enjoyed the pedophile’s sex games.” (Ibid.)
(Identified by John Barrie/New York Post)

Example 6: “Christ submerged in a jar of urine. — NEA-funded exhibit”

Alleged Source: “‘Piss Christ’ featured Christ on a cross in a vat of the artist’s own urine.” (“How the NEA Pollutes American Culture,” The Boston Globe, Jan. 24, 1995)
(Identified by Raw Story & The Rude Pundit)

Example 7: “A female performer inserting a speculum into her vagina and inviting audience members on stage to view her cervix with a flashlight. — NEA-funded performance”

Alleged Source: “Sprinkle masturbates with sex toys and, inserting a speculum into her vagina, invites audience members on stage to view her cervix with a flashlight.” (“Heritage Backgrounder No. 803: The National Endowment for the Arts: Misusing Taxpayers’ Money,” Jan. 18, 1991. The Heritage Foundation, December, 1993 (not available online))
(Identified by John Barrie/New York Post)

Example 8: “A performance of large, sexually explicit props covered with Bibles performing a wide variety of sex acts and concluding with a mass Bible-burning. — NEA-funded performance (canceled by the venue in response to citizen protests)”

Alleged Source: “Create large sexually explicit props covered with a generous layer of requisitioned Bibles. After employing these props in a wide variety of unholy rituals, SRL machines will burn them to ashes.” (Ibid.)
(Identified by John Barrie/New York Post)

Example 9: “A show titled “DEGENERATE WITH A CAPITAL D” featuring a display of the remains of the artist’s own aborted baby. — NEA-funded exhibit”

Alleged Source: “Put on a show called Degenerate with a Capital D, which included Alchemy Cabinet by Shawn Eichman, featuring the remains of the artist’s own aborted baby.” (Ibid.)
(Identified by John Barrie/New York Post)

Example 10: “A play titled ‘Sincerity Forever,’ depicting Christ using obscenities and endorsing any and all types of sexual activities as consistent with Biblical teaching. — NEA-funded exhibit”

Alleged Source: “‘Christ’ uses vulgar obscenities and condones any and all types of sexual activities as being consistent with Christ’s Biblical teaching.” (Ibid.)
(Identified by John Barrie/New York Post)

BOOKS

Godless

Example 1, Page 5: “The massive Dickey-Lincoln Dam, a $227 million hydroelectric project proposed on upper St. John River in Maine, was halted by the discovery of the Furbish lousewort, a plant previously believed to be extinct.”

Alleged Source: “The massive Dickey-Lincoln Dam, a $ 227 million hydroelectric project proposed on upper St. John River, is halted by the discovery of the Furbish lousewort, a plant believed to be extinct.” (“People and events that made Maine’s century,” Portland Press-Herald, Dec. 12, 1999 (Not available online))
(Identified by Rude Pundit, John Barrie/New York Post)

Example 2, Page 37: “…the judge called it “inconceivable” that Tiffany’s injuries were caused by wrestling moves. After the trial, Tate’s new lawyers admitted that the “wrestling defense” was “bogus.””

Alleged Source: “…the presiding Judge said that it was “inconceivable” that Tiffany Eunick’s injuries were caused by Lionel Tate mimicking wrestling moves. Indeed, since the trial ended, Lionel Tate’s new lawyers have filed court papers in which they admit that the “wrestling defense” was, in their words, “bogus.”” (“Retraction to WWE And the Public,” Parents Television Council, July 11, 2002)
(Identified by Rude Pundit)

Example 3, Page 95: “As the president of the Mississippi Baptist Convention, Pickering presided over a meeting where the convention adopted a resolution calling for legislation to outlaw abortion.”

Alleged Source: “As the president of the Mississippi Baptist Convention, Judge Pickering presided over a 1984 meeting where the convention adopted a resolution calling for legislation to outlaw abortion.” (“About Planned Parenthood,” Planned Parenthood Federation of America pamphlet, 2004 (Not available online))
(Identified by John Barrie/New York Post)

Example 4, Page 197: “A short list of the successful treatments achieved by adult stem cells are these:

– Rebuilding livers wracked by otherwise irreversible cirrhosis
– Repairing spinal cord injuries by using stem cells from nasal and sinus regions
– Completely reversing Type 1 diabetes in mice using adult spleen cells
– Putting Crohn’s disease into remission with the patient’s own blood stem cells
– Putting lupus into remission using stem cells from the patient’s bloodstream
– Treating sickle-cell anemia using stem cells from umbilical cord blood
– Repairing the heart muscles in patients with congestive heart failure using adult stem cells from bone marrow
– Repairing heart attack damage with the patient’s own blood stem cells
– Restoring bone marrow in cancer patients using stem cells from umbilical cord blood
– Restoring weak hear muscles using immature skeletal muscle cells
– Putting leukemia into remission using umbilical cord blood
– Healing bone fractures with bone marrow cells
– Restoring sight in blind people using an ocular surface stem cell transplant and a cornea transplant
– Treating urinary incontinence using stem cells from underarm muscle
– Reversing severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) with genetically modified adult stem cells
– Restoring blood circulation in legs with bone marrow stem cells”

Alleged Source: “At the same time, a long list of successful experimental treatments have been achieved using ethical sources of stem cells. These include:

– Spinal cord injury repair (using stem cells from nasal and sinus regions)
– Complete reversal of juvenile diabetes in mice using adult spleen cells, with Harvard now preparing for human patient trials using spleen cells
– Crohn’s Disease put into remission (using patient’s blood stem cells)
– Lupus put into remission (using stem cells from patient’s bloodstream)
– Parkinson’s disease put into remission (using patient’s brain stem cells)
– Repair heart muscle in cases of congestive heart failure (using stem cells from bone marrow)
– Repair heart attack damage (using the patient’s own blood stem cells)
– Restore bone marrow in cancer patients (using stem cells from umbilical cord blood)
– Restore weak heart muscles (using immature skeletal muscle cells)
– Put leukemia into remission (using umbilical cord blood)
– Heal bone fractures (using bone marrow cells)
– Restore a blind man’s sight (using an ocular surface stem-cell transplant & a cornea transplant)
– Recovery from a stroke (using stem cells from bone marrow)
– Treat urinary incontinence (using under arm muscle stem cells)
– Reverse severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) (using genetically modified adult stem cells)
– Restore blood circulation in legs (using bone marrow stem cells)
– Treat sickle-cell anemia (using stem cells from unbilical cord blood)”
(Illinois Right to Life Committee’s “Stem Cell Research Summary“) (Identified by Raw Story – Note: Coulter provides a “see generally” note for this list in her book, but no citation for the source of the list.)

Example 5, Page 209: “It’s also possible that galactic ruler Xenu brought billions of people to Earth 75 million years ago, piled them around volcanoes, and blew them up with hydrogen bombs, sending their souls flying every which way until they landed on the bodies of living humans, where they still invisibly reside today – as Scientology’s L. Ron Hubbard claimed.”

Alleged Source: “Yes, according to Scientology doctrine, a galactic ruler named Xenu brought billions of people to Earth 75 million years ago, stacked them around volcanoes and blew them up with hydrogen bombs. Their souls then clustered together and stuck to the bodies of the living.” (“Pity This Blushing Bride-To-Be,” San Francisco Chronicle, July 3, 2005)
(Identified by John Barrie/New York Post)

High Crimes and Misdemeanors

Example 1, Page 219: “At least four Democratic fund-raising officials have revealed that former DNC Finance Chairman Marvin Rosen explicitly advocated selling access to the president . . .”

Alleged Source: “Four Democratic fundraisers have stated that former DNC Finance Chairman Marvin Rosen explicitly advocated selling access to the President. . .” (“A Case for Impeachment,” David Chapman, Human Events)
(Identified by David Chapman/Boston Globe)

Example 2, Page [TK]: “A DNC fundraiser told Nynex Corporation executives that they would receive invitations to White House coffees if they joined the DNC’s ‘Managing Trustees’ program and agreed to donate $100,000 . . .”

Alleged Source: “A DNC fundraiser told Nynex executives they would receive invitations to White House ‘coffees’ if they joined the DNC’s ‘Managing Trustees’ program and agreed to donate $100,000 . . .” (Ibid.)
(Identified by David Chapman/Boston Globe)