Dean and Anthony B. Buzbee Endowed Dean's Chair, Texas A&M University School of Law
A graduate of Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs and Yale Law School, Robert B. Ahdieh served as law clerk to Judge James R. Browning of the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit before his selection for the Honor's Program in the Civil Division of the US Department of Justice.
While still in law school, Ahdieh published what remains one of the seminal treatments of the constitutional transformation of post-Soviet Russia: "Russia's Constitutional Revolution—Legal Consciousness and the Transition to Democracy." Ahdieh's work has also appeared in the Boston University Law Review, Michigan Law Review, theMinnesota Law Review, the NYU Law Review, and the Southern California Law Review, among other journals.
Ahdieh’s scholarly interests revolve around questions of regulatory and institutional design, especially in the financial arena. His particular focus has been on various non-traditional regulatory structures and modes of regulation, including those grounded in dynamics of coordination. Though relatively less studied in the legal literature, the framework of coordination holds significant promise both in helping us theorize existing regulatory patterns and in defining new regulatory constructs for the future.
Ahdieh has explored regulatory and institutional design in a variety of transactional areas, including corporate and securities law, international trade and finance, and contracts. Within these, his work has emphasized two particular patterns of coordination. The first—intersystemic governance—draws on domestic regimes of federalism and transnational regimes of global governance and subsidiarity to highlight the potential benefits of complex systems of overlapping jurisdiction. The second draws on the dynamics at work in so-called “coordination games” to highlight distinct occasions for potential regulatory intervention, as well as various non-traditional regulatory forms, in our modern economic, social, and political order.
During the 2007–2008 academic year, Ahdieh was a visiting professor and the Microsoft/LAPA Fellow at Princeton University's Program in Law and Public Affairs. In Spring 2014, he served as Douglas McK. Brown Visiting Chair in Law, University of British Columbia. He has also visited at Columbia and Georgetown law schools, as well as numerous law schools overseas.
Texas Supreme Court
Justice Jimmy Blacklock was appointed to the Texas Supreme Court in January 2018 by Governor Greg Abbott. Before that, Jimmy served as Governor Abbott’s General Counsel and in the Attorney General’s Office under then-AG Abbott. While at the AG’s Office, he handled appeals and trials of constitutional cases in state and federal court involving matters such as federalism, religious liberty, and the separation of powers. As Deputy Attorney General for Legal Counsel, he oversaw the Open Records and Opinions divisions of the AG’s Office. Earlier in his career, Jimmy was appointed by President George W. Bush to serve in the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, and he worked in private practice in Houston and Austin. He clerked for Judge Jerry Smith on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit after graduating from U.T.-Austin (B.A., Plan II/History) and Yale Law School. He was born in Houston and now lives in Austin with his wife and three daughters.
Costa is a partner in Gibson Dunn’s Houston office and co-chair of the firm’s Trials Practice Group. Mr. Costa offers clients a unique perspective as the only former federal trial and appellate judge trying cases and leading investigations. His broad experience—having handled complex civil and criminal matters, at trial and on appeal, as advocate and judge—allows him to offer invaluable skills and strategic insights.
Before joining Gibson Dunn, Mr. Costa served for more than ten years as a federal trial and appellate judge. He served on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit from 2014 to 2022. After his nomination by President Obama, the Senate confirmed him by a vote of 97-0. No federal appellate judge nominated since has received more votes. Mr. Costa first served as a district judge for the Southern District of Texas from 2012 to 2014. When appointed to the bench, he was the youngest-sitting federal judge at age 39. Mr. Costa presided over thirty federal trials in four different venues (he continued handling district court matters while serving on the court of appeals). He wrote precedential opinions in almost every area of the law, including antitrust, intellectual property, class actions, international arbitration, securities fraud, bankruptcy, conflicts of law, labor and employment, oil and gas, False Claims Act, administrative law, constitutional law, and criminal law. In press accounts of his tenure, he was described as an “exceptionally gifted jurist” with a “towering intellect” who was “respected by all sides.” The Federal Judicial Center invited Mr. Costa on multiple occasions to teach new federal district judges.
Before taking the bench, Mr. Costa was an Assistant U.S. Attorney in Houston from 2005 to 2012. As a prosecutor, he tried more than 15 jury trials, including serving as a lead prosecutor of Allen Stanford, the head of Stanford Financial Group, for orchestrating a multibillion-dollar international fraud scheme. Mr. Costa is featured in a documentary about the case, The Man Who Bought Cricket. A Reuters article about the trial quotes a victim who said that Mr. Costa’s closing argument “brought her to tears.” For his work on the Stanford case, Mr. Costa received the John Marshall Award for Trial of Litigation and the Assistant Attorney General’s Award for Exceptional Service. He also prosecuted cases involving kickbacks in the energy industry, public corruption, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, securities fraud, internet fraud, and counterfeit technology products. During his time as a federal prosecutor, Mr. Costa served as the Southern District of Texas’s Deputy International Affairs Coordinator, during which he assisted with investigations in more than a dozen countries.
Mr. Costa is a frequent speaker and author on legal topis, including writing for the ABA’s Litigation Journal on various trial-related issues. He also taught Federal Jurisdiction at the University of Houston Law Center, where he was named an Honorary Alumnus.
After college, Mr. Costa taught elementary school for two years in the Mississippi Delta through Teach for America. He has remained involved in the Delta and in education, launching a nonprofit in Mississippi, serving on the board of the Houston Urban Debate League, and helping teach Government at a Houston‑area charter school.
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas
Reed Charles O'Connor is a federal judge on the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas. He joined the court in 2007 after being nominated by President George W. Bush.
A native of Houston, Texas, O'Connor graduated from the University of Houston with his bachelor's degree in 1986 and from South Texas College of Law with his J.D. in 1989.
Executive General Counsel, First Liberty Institute
Hiram Sasser is Executive General Counsel for First Liberty Institute, where he oversees First Liberty’s litigation and media efforts. Sasser’s practice focuses on First Amendment and other constitutional and civil rights issues relating to religious liberty. Sasser served as co-counsel in seven victories before the United States Supreme Court, including Groff v. DeJoy (landmark case overturning the “de minimis cost” test for Title VII in place almost 50 years), Kennedy v. Bremerton (landmark case overturning 50 years of Establishment Clause precedent), Carson v. Makin (overturning 40 years of Maine’s discrimination against parents choosing faith-based schools), American Legion v. American Humanist Association (landmark case ending Establishment Clause attacks on veterans’ memorials with religious imagery), Klein v. Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries (granted, vacated, and remanded (twice) in religious wedding service case), and Sause v. Bauer (summary reversal revoking qualified immunity for police who ordered a citizen not to pray in her own home).
In addition to his legal duties, Sasser develops, coordinates, and implements successful media strategies on behalf of his clients. This includes numerous appearances on ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox News, CNN, and the BBC as well as being heard on various radio stations throughout the United States, Asia, Africa, and Europe.
In 2016, Sasser took a leave of absence to serve a temporary assignment as the Chief of Staff for the Attorney General of Texas. He currently serves as an Adjunct Professor of Law at both The University of Texas at Austin School of Law (teaching Religious Liberty) and Oklahoma City University School of Law (teaching Civil Rights Procedure).
Regional Deputy General Counsel, North America and Lead Counsel, Treasury, Willis Towers Watson
Texas Second Court of Appeals
Justice Kerr grew up in Memphis, Tennessee, graduating from White Station High School in 1974. She became a Texan when she matriculated at Rice University in Houston, obtaining a B.A. in English and Art History in 1978, followed by a J.D. from the University of Texas in 1982. Immediately following law school, Justice Kerr spent two years as a briefing attorney for the late Honorable Lucius D. Bunton, III, Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas, Midland Division.
From there, Justice Kerr began her private practice in Fort Worth in 1984, first with the firm of Law, Snakard & Gambill. During the 1990s, in addition to maintaining her legal practice Justice Kerr worked on numerous projects with lexicographer and author Bryan A. Garner, including as a contributing editor of the seventh edition of Black’s Law Dictionary. Starting in 1995, Justice Kerr taught legal writing and research off and on for a number of years at what began as the DFW School of Law and then became Texas Wesleyan (now Texas A&M) School of Law.
Most recently, she joined Friedman, Suder & Cooke in 2006, where she was of counsel until her election to the appellate bench in 2016. While at Friedman, Suder & Cooke, Justice Kerr was a member of the planning committee of the Tarrant County Bar Association’s appellate section, serving as its chair for the 2010-2011 bar year. She is a Fellow of the Tarrant County Bar Foundation and a Life Fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation.
John Paul Stevens Professor of Law, Northwestern University School of Law
Andrew Koppelman is John Paul Stevens Professor of Law, Professor (by courtesy) of Political Science, and Philosophy Department Affiliated Faculty at Northwestern University. He received the Walder Award for Research Excellence from Northwestern, the Hart-Dworkin award in legal philosophy from the Association of American Law Schools, and the Edward S. Corwin Prize from the American Political Science Association. His scholarship focuses on issues at the intersection of law and political philosophy. He has written more than 100 scholarly articles and eight books, most recently Burning Down the House: How Libertarian Philosophy Was Corrupted by Delusion and Greed, (St. Martin’s Press). His column appears regularly at The Hill. You can find his recent work at andrewkoppelman.com.
Principal, Spero Law LLC
Christopher Mills is the founder of Spero Law LLC. He was previously a partner at a national law firm and a Constitutional Law Fellow at the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty. He served as a law clerk to Justice Clarence Thomas on the U.S. Supreme Court during October Term 2018. He also clerked for the Honorable David B. Sentelle, then-Chief Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. He has authored briefs and motions in the Supreme Court, courts of appeals, and trial courts, and successfully argued before the D.C. Circuit. He has served as special counsel to South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster, and is an Adjunct Professor at the Charleston School of Law.
A 2012 magna cum laude graduate of Harvard Law School, Christopher was a senior editor of the Harvard Law Review, an editor of the Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy, and served on the Executive Board of the Harvard Federalist Society. In 2009, he graduated Phi Beta Kappa and summa cum laude with a degree in economics from Furman University.
Christopher lives in Charleston, South Carolina with his wife, children, and golden retriever.
Legal Director, National Center for LGBTQ Rights
Senior Counsel, Alliance Defending Freedom
Christiana (Holcomb) Kiefer serves as senior counsel with Alliance Defending Freedom, where she is a key member of the Center for Conscience Initiatives.
When she joined ADF in 2012, Kiefer worked to defend the constitutionally protected freedom of churches, religious schools, and Christian ministries to exercise their faith without government interference. Since joining the Center for Conscience Initiatives in 2020, Kiefer has worked on groundbreaking cases to protect the right of women and girls to fair athletic competition, including Soule v. Connecticut Association of Schools and Hecox v. Little. She also works to protect the right of people of faith to foster and provide loving homes for children in need.
Kiefer has testified before Congress and successfully advocated at the grassroots level. As an ADF commentator, she regularly speaks at conferences and comments in television, radio, and print media.
Kiefer earned her Juris Doctor in 2010 from Oak Brook College of Law and Government Policy, where she graduated first in her class. Also in 2010, Kiefer completed the ADF leadership development program to become a Blackstone Fellow. She is admitted to the state bar of California, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Supreme Court, and numerous federal district and appellate courts.
Topics
On Graciousness and Gratitude
Reviewing The Soul of Civility, by Alexandra Hudson Thanksgiving is an ideal time to read...
Topics
22nd Barbara K. Olson Memorial Lecture by Bari Weiss
On November 10, 2023, Bari Weiss, Founder and Editor of The Free Press, delivered the...
Topics
The Supreme Court’s Shrunken “Discuss List”
This post originally appeared at the Volokh Conspiracy. Buried in the commentary to the Supreme...
Topics
The FCC Can’t Give You Net Neutrality
One provider prioritizes its own content, steering online users to its affiliated sites and services....
Topics
The Biden Administration “All of Government” Approach to Increasing Union Density in the Country and the NLRB’s Cemex Decision
The “All of Government” Strategy President Biden has made it clear, on multiple occasions, that...
Topics
Practice Groups Announce 2023 Volunteer & Executive Committee of the Year
The Federalist Society’s Practice Groups Division is excited to announce the winners of our inaugural Volunteer...
Topics
What Is the Public Interest in Environmental Law?
The Federalist Society’s 2023 National Lawyers Convention featured a panel organized by the Environmental Law...
Topics
The FCC Returns to the Law and Economics Free Zone
Relatively speaking, the last several years have been pretty good for the U.S. broadband industry....
Panel Discussion: The Consequences of Disruption
Robert B. Ahdieh, James Davis Blacklock, Gregg Costa, Reed O'Connor, Hiram Sasser, J. Ammon Smartt
2023 Texas Chapters Conference
Collegiality and the presumption that opposing counsel work together in good faith are bedrocks of...
Panel Discussion: Legal Challenges Involving Gender Identity Post-Bostock
Elizabeth Kerr, Andrew Koppelman, Christopher E. Mills, Shannon Minter, Christiana Michelle Kiefer
2023 Texas Chapters Conference
Litigation and legislation involving complex issues regarding gender identity are at the forefront of public...