Alan joined the Institute for Free Speech as Vice President for Litigation in February 2021. In this role, Alan directs the Institute’s litigation and legal advocacy, leads our in-house legal team, and manages and works to expand our network of volunteer attorneys.
Prior to joining the Institute, Alan litigated complex federal matters for twenty years, in his own practice and as a partner in various Washington-area firms. He argued and won landmark constitutional cases in the United States Supreme Court and has appeared before numerous appellate and district courts throughout the country. Alan often speaks at law schools and continuing legal education seminars. He also teaches strategic/public interest litigation as an adjunct professor at the Georgetown University Law Center.
Alan began his career clerking for the Hon. Terrence W. Boyle, United States District Judge for the Eastern District of North Carolina. He has also served as a Deputy Attorney General for the State of California, a litigation associate at the Washington office of Sidley Austin, and as counsel to the United States Senate Judiciary Committee.
Alan earned his J.D. at Georgetown (1995) and his B.A. at Cornell University (1992). He is an active member in good standing of the Virginia, District of Columbia, and California bars, the Bar of the United States Supreme Court, and various federal appellate and district court bars.
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Social Media and the First Amendment
Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico Student Chapter
Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico2250 Boulevard Luis A. Ferré Aguayo
Ponce, PR 00717
A Discussion of NetChoice with Alan Gura and Bryant Walker Smith
Columbia Lawyers Chapter
Nelson Mullins1320 Main Street, 17th Floor
Columbia, SC 29201
A Discussion of NetChoice feat. Alan Gura
Charleston Lawyers Chapter
Turner Padget40 Calhoun Street Suite 200
Charleston, SC 29401
The First Amendment’s Diversity Mandate: Guaranteeing Diversity of Thought Against Mandatory Campus Ideology
San Diego Student Chapter
University of San Diego School of Law5998 Alcala Park
San Diego, CA 92110
NetChoice and Murthy: Speech and Coercion in the Digital Age
What can state actors do to protect or interfere with online public discourse? The recent...
NetChoice and Murthy: Speech and Coercion in the Digital Age
What can state actors do to protect or interfere with online public discourse? The recent...
Panel 1: When Twitter Speaks: Control, Access, and the Role of States
State Power Review Conference
Texas and Florida both recently adopted statutes that regulate content moderation by social media platforms....
Second Amendment Rights: Litigation & Legislation Update
Civil Rights Practice Group Podcast
The conclusion of the coming Supreme Court term will see the tenth anniversary of District of...
Does the Fourteenth Amendment Protect Unenumerated Rights?
Engage Volume 12, Issue 2, September 2011
The current debates over the incorporation of the Second Amendment have reignited interest in the...