Partner, Special Matters and Government Investigations, King & Spalding LLP
William focuses his practice on government investigations, internal investigations, voluntary self-disclosures, and white collar criminal litigation. William advises clients on a range of white collar matters, including: the False Claims Act, the Anti-Kickback Statute, the Food Drug & Cosmetic Act, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, and whistleblower cases.
William has experience representing companies and individuals in investigations conducted by federal and state authorities, including the Department of Justice, multiple United States Attorney’s offices, the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, the Food and Drug Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Office of Comptroller of the Currency, the Federal Election Commission, and multiple investigative committees of the United States Congress.
William previously served as a law clerk to the Honorable Richard J. Leon of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. William graduated summa cum laude from Notre Dame Law School, where he served as the Managing Articles Editor of the Notre Dame Law Review.
Partner, Special Matters and Government Investigations, King & Spalding LLP
William focuses his practice on government investigations, internal investigations, voluntary self-disclosures, and white collar criminal litigation. William advises clients on a range of white collar matters, including: the False Claims Act, the Anti-Kickback Statute, the Food Drug & Cosmetic Act, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, and whistleblower cases.
William has experience representing companies and individuals in investigations conducted by federal and state authorities, including the Department of Justice, multiple United States Attorney’s offices, the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, the Food and Drug Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Office of Comptroller of the Currency, the Federal Election Commission, and multiple investigative committees of the United States Congress.
William previously served as a law clerk to the Honorable Richard J. Leon of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. William graduated summa cum laude from Notre Dame Law School, where he served as the Managing Articles Editor of the Notre Dame Law Review.
Vice President & Senior Legal Fellow, Defending Education
Sarah Parshall Perry is vice president and senior legal fellow at Defending Education.
Before coming to Defending Education, Sarah served as a Senior Legal Fellow for the Edwin Meese III Center for Legal and Judicial Studies, part of the Institute for Constitutional Government at Heritage, where her work centered on civil rights and the proper role of the courts.
Sarah joined Heritage after serving as Senior Counsel to the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Education where she focused on policy reform, technical guidance, and the Office for Civil Rights’ (OCR) annual report to Congress. While at OCR, she was appointed by the Acting Assistant Secretary to co-chair the Employment Engagement, Diversity, & Inclusion Council and, in coordination with the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Enforcement oversee the hiring of dozens of attorneys for OCR’s 12 regional offices nationwide. Prior to her tenure at the Department of Education, she spent six years at the Family Research Council in Washington, D.C. where she was Senior Fellow for Education Reform and later, became the regular substitute host for the “Washington Watch” radio show. Her work at the Family Research Council also included the building and oversight of multiple policy coalitions geared toward the fight against antisemitism in academia, curbing tech censorship, and protecting religious liberty.
Before joining FRC, Sarah was in-house counsel and director of development for a Baltimore advertising agency, providing management of all new business transactions from pitch to contract execution for the multi-million-dollar enterprise. She began her practice at the litigation firm of Simms Showers, LLP where her work included Title VII employment discrimination, maritime/admiralty, and False Claims Act (“Qui Tam”) law. Sarah has a law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law, where she was an editor of the Virginia Journal of International Law, a recipient of the American Jurisprudence award, a Phi Delta Phi honor society member, and a student practitioner in the appellate litigation clinic where she argued before the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals. She holds a B.S. in Journalism with honors from Liberty University.
Her commentary and analysis have appeared in media outlets across the country, including the AP, BBC, Fox News, NPR, The Hill, Washington Post, Washington Times, and the New York Times. She is the mother of three children, and the author of just as many books on the trials and triumphs of parenting children on the autism spectrum. Sarah is a member of the Kirkpatrick Society at the American Enterprise Institute, and makes her home north of Baltimore, Maryland.
General Counsel, Mountain States Legal Foundation
William E. Trachman is General Counsel for Mountain States Legal Foundation, where he protects the rights of individuals to live freely and securely under the U.S. Constitution. Previously, he was appointed to serve in the Department of Education as Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Office for Civil Rights. Prior to his appointment, he served as General Counsel to the Douglas County School District, where he helped litigate the fight for school choice in the school district. Presently, Mr. Trachman serves as Chair of the Colorado Federalist Society and the Vice Chair of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights’ Colorado Advisory Board. He previously taught as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Denver, Sturm College of Law. He attended U.C. Berkeley for both undergraduate and law school, and then clerked for the Honorable Harris Hartz on the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals. Mr. Trachman is licensed in Colorado, California, and Washington, D.C.
Vice President & Senior Legal Fellow, Defending Education
Sarah Parshall Perry is vice president and senior legal fellow at Defending Education.
Before coming to Defending Education, Sarah served as a Senior Legal Fellow for the Edwin Meese III Center for Legal and Judicial Studies, part of the Institute for Constitutional Government at Heritage, where her work centered on civil rights and the proper role of the courts.
Sarah joined Heritage after serving as Senior Counsel to the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Education where she focused on policy reform, technical guidance, and the Office for Civil Rights’ (OCR) annual report to Congress. While at OCR, she was appointed by the Acting Assistant Secretary to co-chair the Employment Engagement, Diversity, & Inclusion Council and, in coordination with the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Enforcement oversee the hiring of dozens of attorneys for OCR’s 12 regional offices nationwide. Prior to her tenure at the Department of Education, she spent six years at the Family Research Council in Washington, D.C. where she was Senior Fellow for Education Reform and later, became the regular substitute host for the “Washington Watch” radio show. Her work at the Family Research Council also included the building and oversight of multiple policy coalitions geared toward the fight against antisemitism in academia, curbing tech censorship, and protecting religious liberty.
Before joining FRC, Sarah was in-house counsel and director of development for a Baltimore advertising agency, providing management of all new business transactions from pitch to contract execution for the multi-million-dollar enterprise. She began her practice at the litigation firm of Simms Showers, LLP where her work included Title VII employment discrimination, maritime/admiralty, and False Claims Act (“Qui Tam”) law. Sarah has a law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law, where she was an editor of the Virginia Journal of International Law, a recipient of the American Jurisprudence award, a Phi Delta Phi honor society member, and a student practitioner in the appellate litigation clinic where she argued before the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals. She holds a B.S. in Journalism with honors from Liberty University.
Her commentary and analysis have appeared in media outlets across the country, including the AP, BBC, Fox News, NPR, The Hill, Washington Post, Washington Times, and the New York Times. She is the mother of three children, and the author of just as many books on the trials and triumphs of parenting children on the autism spectrum. Sarah is a member of the Kirkpatrick Society at the American Enterprise Institute, and makes her home north of Baltimore, Maryland.
General Counsel, Mountain States Legal Foundation
William E. Trachman is General Counsel for Mountain States Legal Foundation, where he protects the rights of individuals to live freely and securely under the U.S. Constitution. Previously, he was appointed to serve in the Department of Education as Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Office for Civil Rights. Prior to his appointment, he served as General Counsel to the Douglas County School District, where he helped litigate the fight for school choice in the school district. Presently, Mr. Trachman serves as Chair of the Colorado Federalist Society and the Vice Chair of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights’ Colorado Advisory Board. He previously taught as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Denver, Sturm College of Law. He attended U.C. Berkeley for both undergraduate and law school, and then clerked for the Honorable Harris Hartz on the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals. Mr. Trachman is licensed in Colorado, California, and Washington, D.C.
Senior Counsel, Litigation, Defense of Freedom Institute
Don Daugherty is Senior Counsel, Litigation, at the Defense of Freedom Institute for Policy Studies. He previously served as a Senior Counsel at the Institute for Free Speech and the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty. Before that, he was a partner at three of Wisconsin’s largest firms, with nearly 30 years of trial and appellate litigation experience. He has been consistently recognized as among the “Best Lawyers in America,” as well as Wisconsin’s “Super Lawyers.” He received his B.A. from the University of Virginia and his J.D. from Northwestern University Law School. After law school, he served as a clerk to the Honorable Roger J. Miner of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.
Don is on the Board of Advisors for the Milwaukee Lawyers’ Chapter of the Federalist Society, and on the Executive Committee of the Federalist Society’s Litigation Practice Group.
Senior Attorney, Institute for Free Speech
Brett Nolan is a Senior Attorney at the Institute for Free Speech, a public interest law firm that defends the First Amendment rights of those engaged in political speech and advocacy around the country.
Before joining the Institute, Brett served as the Principal Deputy Solicitor General of Kentucky, where he represented the Commonwealth in a wide variety of high-stakes litigation at every level of state and federal court. In that role, Brett led a successful challenge against the Department of Treasury over the constitutionality of a federal law limiting the ability of states to modify their tax codes, and he helped secure a U.S. Supreme Court victory that upheld a state’s constitutional right to defend its interests in federal court.
Prior to that, Brett served as the Deputy General Counsel to the former Governor of Kentucky, where he advised the governor and other executive branch officials on legal and policy issues and represented them in litigation. Brett clerked for Judge John Nalbandian of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit and Judge Karen K. Caldwell of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky. Between clerkships, he worked in private practice. Brett received his law degree from the University of Chicago Law School, where he graduated with High Honors and was an editor of The University of Chicago Law Review.
Senior Attorney, Institute for Free Speech
Brett Nolan is a Senior Attorney at the Institute for Free Speech, a public interest law firm that defends the First Amendment rights of those engaged in political speech and advocacy around the country.
Before joining the Institute, Brett served as the Principal Deputy Solicitor General of Kentucky, where he represented the Commonwealth in a wide variety of high-stakes litigation at every level of state and federal court. In that role, Brett led a successful challenge against the Department of Treasury over the constitutionality of a federal law limiting the ability of states to modify their tax codes, and he helped secure a U.S. Supreme Court victory that upheld a state’s constitutional right to defend its interests in federal court.
Prior to that, Brett served as the Deputy General Counsel to the former Governor of Kentucky, where he advised the governor and other executive branch officials on legal and policy issues and represented them in litigation. Brett clerked for Judge John Nalbandian of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit and Judge Karen K. Caldwell of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky. Between clerkships, he worked in private practice. Brett received his law degree from the University of Chicago Law School, where he graduated with High Honors and was an editor of The University of Chicago Law Review.
Clinical Instructional Fellow, Religious Freedom Clinic, Harvard Law School
Steven is an instructional fellow at the Religious Freedom Clinic. Before joining the clinic, he clerked in his hometown, San Diego, CA, for the Honorable Patrick J. Bumatay on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. He received his J.D. from Stanford Law School, where he participated in Stanford’s Religious Liberty Clinic, and was Managing Editor of the Stanford Law & Policy Review. Before law school, Steven was a software engineer at Google, first in Mountain View, CA, and then in New York City. Steven received a B.S. in Physics and a B.A. in Linguistics from Stanford University.
Senior Counsel, First Liberty Institute
Prior to coming to First Liberty, Nate was the Founder and Chief Counsel of the Center for Religious Expression.
For over 3 decades, Nate has defended religious liberty in courtrooms all over the country. He has handled more than 500 litigated cases and 50 appeals before various federal appellate courts regarding, winning numerous landmark decisions, including Brindley v. City of Memphis, Johnson v. Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board, Boardley v. Dept. of Interior and Brown v. Polk County.
Nate is also a sought after speaker and has appeared on numerous television and radio shows, including Huckabee, Hannity, Fox and Friends, and the Hugh Hewitt show. He has been frequently quoted in major print media, like Time magazine, The New Yorker, The Wall Street Journal, National Review, and USA Today. He has also written op-eds and articles for various media outlets, including Townhall, American Thinker, One News Now, and was a regular contributor for the Christian Post.
Nate earned his Juris Doctorate from the University of Mississippi, graduating with honors in 1988. He is admitted to state bars in Tennessee and Mississippi, as well as numerous federal appellate courts.
Clinical Instructional Fellow, Religious Freedom Clinic, Harvard Law School
Steven is an instructional fellow at the Religious Freedom Clinic. Before joining the clinic, he clerked in his hometown, San Diego, CA, for the Honorable Patrick J. Bumatay on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. He received his J.D. from Stanford Law School, where he participated in Stanford’s Religious Liberty Clinic, and was Managing Editor of the Stanford Law & Policy Review. Before law school, Steven was a software engineer at Google, first in Mountain View, CA, and then in New York City. Steven received a B.S. in Physics and a B.A. in Linguistics from Stanford University.
Senior Counsel, First Liberty Institute
Prior to coming to First Liberty, Nate was the Founder and Chief Counsel of the Center for Religious Expression.
For over 3 decades, Nate has defended religious liberty in courtrooms all over the country. He has handled more than 500 litigated cases and 50 appeals before various federal appellate courts regarding, winning numerous landmark decisions, including Brindley v. City of Memphis, Johnson v. Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board, Boardley v. Dept. of Interior and Brown v. Polk County.
Nate is also a sought after speaker and has appeared on numerous television and radio shows, including Huckabee, Hannity, Fox and Friends, and the Hugh Hewitt show. He has been frequently quoted in major print media, like Time magazine, The New Yorker, The Wall Street Journal, National Review, and USA Today. He has also written op-eds and articles for various media outlets, including Townhall, American Thinker, One News Now, and was a regular contributor for the Christian Post.
Nate earned his Juris Doctorate from the University of Mississippi, graduating with honors in 1988. He is admitted to state bars in Tennessee and Mississippi, as well as numerous federal appellate courts.
Courthouse Steps Decision: Barrett v. United States
William S. McClintock
In Barrett v. United States, the Court was asked to consider the relationship between two...
Courthouse Steps Decision: Barrett v. United States
William S. McClintock
In Barrett v. United States, the Court was asked to consider the relationship between two...
Courthouse Steps Oral Argument: Little v. Hecox and West Virginia v. B.P.J.
Sarah Parshall Perry, William E. Trachman
Little v. Hecox and West Virginia v. B.P.J., both involve the question of whether states...
Courthouse Steps Oral Argument: Little v. Hecox and West Virginia v. B.P.J.
Sarah Parshall Perry, William E. Trachman
Little v. Hecox and West Virginia v. B.P.J., both involve the question of whether states...
Structure Over Spectacle: The Supreme Court's 2024 Term
Donald A. Daugherty, David C. Tryon
Federalist Society Review, Volume 26
After several years of headline-grabbing decisions that reshaped national political debate—from abortion and affirmative action...
Non Potest Delegari: How the Common-Law Principle of Agency Recasts the Nondelegation Doctrine
Caleb Kreft
Federalist Society Review, Volume 26
The nondelegation doctrine forbids Congress from delegating lawmaking authority to other government institutions. The Supreme...
Courthouse Steps Oral Argument: NRSC v. FEC
Brett Nolan
In National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) v. Federal Election Commission (FEC) the Court is set to...
Courthouse Steps Oral Argument: NRSC v. FEC
Brett Nolan
In National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) v. Federal Election Commission (FEC) the Court is set to...
Courthouse Steps Oral Argument: Olivier v. City of Brandon
Steven Burnett, Nathan Kellum
Gabriel Olivier is an evangelical Christian who often shares his faith in public. In May...
Courthouse Steps Oral Argument: Olivier v. City of Brandon
Steven Burnett, Nathan Kellum
Gabriel Olivier is an evangelical Christian who often shares his faith in public. In May...