John G. Malcolm oversees Advancing American Freedom’s work to increase understanding of the Constitution and the rule of law as Vice President of the organization’s Edwin Meese III Institute for the Rule of Law. Malcolm brings to the challenge a wealth of legal expertise and experience in both the public and private sectors.
Prior to joining Advancing American Freedom in 2025, Malcolm was the Vice President of the Institute for Constitutional Government and the Director of the Meese Center for Legal and Judicial Studies at the Heritage Foundation. Prior to joining Heritage in 2012, Malcolm was general counsel at the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, as well as a distinguished practitioner in residence at Pepperdine Law School. From 2004 to 2009, Malcolm was executive vice president and director of worldwide anti-piracy operations for the Motion Picture Association.
Malcolm served as a deputy assistant attorney general in the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division from 2001 to 2004, where he oversaw sections on computer crime and intellectual property, domestic security, child exploitation and obscenity, and special investigations. Immediately prior to that, he was a founding partner in the Atlanta law firm of Malcolm & Schroeder, LLP.
From 1990 to 1997, Malcolm was an assistant U.S. attorney in Atlanta, assigned to the fraud and public corruption section, and also an associate independent counsel, investigating fraud and abuse in the Department of Housing and Urban Development. He was honored with the Director’s Award for Superior Performance for his work in connection with the successful prosecution of Walter Leroy Moody Jr., who assassinated an 11th Circuit judge and the head of the Savannah chapter of the NAACP.
A graduate of Harvard Law School and Columbia College, Malcolm began his career as a law clerk to a federal district court judge and a federal appellate court judge, and as an associate at the Atlanta-based law firm of Sutherland, Asbill & Brennan (new Eversheds Sutherland).
Malcolm, who resides in Washington, D.C., serves on the Board of Trustees of the Washington National Opera and is a Senate-confirmed member of the Board of Directors of the Legal Services Corporation, the largest funder of civil legal aid in the United States.
*****
A person listed on this page has spoken or otherwise participated in Federalist Society events, publications, or multimedia presentations. A person's appearance on this list does not imply any other endorsement or relationship between the person and the Federalist Society. In most cases, the biographical information on a person's bio page is provided directly by the person, and the Federalist Society does not edit or otherwise endorse that information. The Federalist Society takes no position on particular legal or public policy issues. All expressions of opinion by a speaker or author are those of the individual.
Power and the Presidency: Executive Orders, Waging War and Battling the Judiciary in the Trump Administration
Philadelphia Lawyer Chapter
The Pyramid Club1735 Market St 52nd Floor
Philadephia, PA 19103
Executive Orders: Faithful Execution or Legislating From The Oval Office
Fresno Lawyers Chapter
Law Offices of McCormick Barstow LLP7647 N Fresno Street
Fresno, CA 93720
Executive Orders: Faithful Execution or Legislating from the Oval Office?
Theories of Presidential Power Series
Discussing Attempts to Address Federal Overcriminalization
A recent executive order entitled “Fighting Overcriminalization in Federal Regulations” and two congressional proposals: the...
Discussing Attempts to Address Federal Overcriminalization
A recent executive order entitled “Fighting Overcriminalization in Federal Regulations” and two congressional proposals: the...
Daniel Webster Debate Series: Do Nationwide Injunctions Undermine the President's Lawful Authority?
The Federalist Society's Georgetown Law Chapter'sDaniel Webster Debate Series presents Daniel Webster Debate Series:Do...
Conservatives Talk Presidential Power: Disqualification & Contempt
As we enter the new year, John Malcolm and John Yoo examine the latest regarding...
Conservatives Talk Presidential Power: Disqualification & Contempt
As we enter the new year, John Malcolm and John Yoo examine the latest regarding...