Judge Rao was appointed to the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in March 2019. She graduated from Yale College in 1995 and the University of Chicago Law School in 1999. Following graduation, she served as a law clerk to Judge J. Harvie Wilkinson III of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit and, in the 2001 October Term, as law clerk to Justice Clarence Thomas of the U.S. Supreme Court. Between her clerkships, Judge Rao served as counsel for nominations and constitutional law to the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary. In 2002, she joined the international arbitration group of Clifford Chance LLP in London, England. From 2005-2006, she served as Special Assistant and Associate White House Counsel to President George W. Bush. From 2006 to 2017, Judge Rao was a professor at the Antonin Scalia Law School at George Mason University, where she taught constitutional law, legislation and statutory interpretation, and the history and foundations of the administrative state. In 2014, she founded the Center for the Study of the Administrative State, a non-profit Center that promotes academic scholarship and public policy debates about administrative law. In July 2017, she was appointed to serve as the Administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs in the Office of Management Budget. She served in this position until her appointment to the D.C. Circuit.
*****
A person listed as a contributor 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 "contributor" 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 contributor are those of the contributor.
May 2025 DC Lunch with Judge Neomi Rao
Carmine's Italian Restaurant425 7th Street, N.W.
Washington, DC 20004
Panel III: Congress and the Administrative State: Prospects for Regulatory Reform
2025 National Student Symposium
Michigan Law Hutchins Hall625 S State St
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
Administrative Law and Regulation: What Is the Future of Administrative Law?
2024 National Lawyers Convention
The Washington Hilton1919 Connecticut Ave NW
Washington, DC 20009
Executive Power and Administrative Law
Montana Student Chapter
Alexander Blewett III School of Law32 Campus Drive
Missoula, MT 59812
Panel III: Congress and the Administrative State: Prospects for Regulatory Reform
2025 National Student Symposium
Featuring: Prof. Nicholas Bagley, Thomas G. Long Professor of Law, University of Michigan Law School...
Panel III: Congress and the Administrative State: Prospects for Regulatory Reform
2025 National Student Symposium
Featuring: Prof. Nicholas Bagley, Thomas G. Long Professor of Law, University of Michigan Law School...
Administrative Law and Regulation: What Is the Future of Administrative Law?
2024 National Lawyers Convention
The Supreme Court's latest term was one of its most significant for administrative law. The...
Administrative Law and Regulation: What Is the Future of Administrative Law?
2024 National Lawyers Convention
The Supreme Court's latest term was one of its most significant for administrative law. The...
Showcase Panel IV: How Originalist is the Supreme Court?
2023 National Lawyers Convention
Featuring: Prof. J. Joel Alicea, Co-Director, Project on Constitutional Originalism and the Catholic Intellectual Tradition,...