Judge, United States District Court, Northern District of Ohio
Judge J. Philip Calabrese was confirmed to serve on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio in December 2020. Previously, he served on the State trial court in the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas. Before taking the bench, he had a complex litigation practice for nearly two decades and was a partner at what is now Squire Patton Boggs and at Porter, Wright, Morris & Arthur, LLP, where he co-chaired the firm’s class action practice. After graduating from Harvard Law School, Judge Calabrese began his legal career as a law clerk to Judge Alice M. Batchelder of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. He also serves as an adjunct professor at Case Western Reserve University School of Law, where he teaches an advanced course on expert evidence and at the University of Akron School of Law where he teaches the First Amendment’s Speech Clause.
Member, Ohio House of Representatives
State Representative Brian Stewart is currently serving his first term as State Representative for the 78th Ohio House district, which includes Hocking and Morgan Counties, as well as portions of Athens, Fairfield, Muskingum and Pickaway Counties.
In addition to his career in public service, Rep. Stewart maintains a successful law practice representing businesses and individuals with The Law Office of Brian Stewart, LLC.
Rep. Stewart enlisted for active duty in the Army after experiencing 9/11 as a high school senior. He is an infantry veteran of the Iraq War and earned the Combat Infantryman’s Badge (CIB) in addition to twice receiving the Army Commendation Medal. Following his service, he returned to school and earned both his Bachelor’s and law degree from the Ohio State University.
A lifelong resident of Southern Ohio, Rep. Stewart is very active in his community. He is a past Vice President and Spokesman for the Ohio Fallen Heroes Memorial, a statewide memorial dedicated to all Ohio service members killed in the line of duty since 9/11. He has also been a member of the Pickaway County Farm Bureau, the Veterans of Foreign Warns, the Association of Ohio Commodores, the Pickaway County and Ohio State Bar Associations, the Pickaway Senior Center Board of Directors and the Pickaway County Republican Central Committee.
In his free time, Rep. Stewart is a dedicated movie buff, a passionate sports fan and enjoys target shooting, books on American history and the music of Johnny Cash. Rep. Stewart lives in Ashville and attends Village Chapel Church with his wife, Letanya, and their three children.
Partner, DiCello Levitt Gutzler LLC
David is a litigator and privacy advocate based in the New York office of DiCello Levitt Gutzler LLC. He is one of the nation’s leading voices for the recognition of property rights in personal data, a 10-year effort culminating in the Ninth Circuit’s landmark April 2020 decision in In re: Facebook Internet Tracking Litigation and the Northern District of California’s March 2021 decision in Calhoun v. Google, both of which he argued. David also successfully argued for the extraterritorial application of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act in 2019 in In re: Apple Device Performance Litigation, and filed the first-ever data privacy class action under seal to address a dangerous website vulnerability under Court supervision in Rodriguez v. Universal Prop. & Cas. Ins. Co. As M.I.T. Technology Review magazine put it in 2012, David is “something of a pioneer” in the field.
David also frequently teaches, most recently as an adjunct professor at Yeshiva University’s Sy Syms School of Business, teaching Business Law and Ethics every fall semester from 2015 to 2021. Prior to joining DiCello Levitt, David was a partner with Kaplan Fox & Kilsheimer LLP, and helped launch the US offices of London-based Stewarts Law LLP before that, where he was the global head of investor protection litigation. Prior to joining the plaintiffs’ bar, David was an associate with the New York office of Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP. Although not currently an active member, David first joined the Federalist Society in law school in 1994, one of the few Society alums in the plaintiffs’ bar.
Vice President and General Counsel, NetChoice
Professor of Political Science, University of Florida
Dr. Michael P. McDonald is Professor of Political Science at University of Florida. He received his Ph.D. in Political Science from University of California, San Diego and B.S. in Economics from California Institute of Technology. He held a one-year post-doc fellowship at Harvard University and previously taught at Vanderbilt University; University of Illinois, Springfield; and George Mason University.
His research interests are in the areas of elections and methodology. His voter turnout research shows that turnout is not declining, the ineligible population is rising. He is a co-principle investigator on the Public Mapping Project, a project to encourage public participation in redistricting. He is co-author with Micah Altman of The Public Mapping Project: How Public Participation Can Revolutionize Redistricting; co-author with Micah Altman and Jeff Gill of Numerical Issues in Statistical Computing for the Social Scientist,and is co-editor with John Samples of The Marketplace of Democracy: Electoral Competition and American Politics. His research appears in several edited volumes and in scholarly journals including American Political Science Review, American Journal of Political Science, Journal of Politics, Public Opinion Quarterly, Political Behavior, Political Analysis, Political Geography, State Politics and Policy Quarterly, PS: Political Science and Politics, Sociological Methods and Research, Social Science Computing Review, The Election Law Journal, Política y Gobierno, and the law review journals of New York University Journal of Legislation and Public Policy, Duke J. Constitutional Law and Public Policy, University of Richmond Law Review, Case Western Law Review and the Georgetown Law Review.
On the practical side of politics, Dr. McDonald has worked for the national exit poll organization; consulted to the U.S. Election Assistance Commission; consulted to the Pew Center for the States; served on campaign staff for state legislative campaigns in California and Virginia; has worked for national polling firms; has been an expert witness for election lawsuits in Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Washington; and has worked as a redistricting consultant or expert witness in Alaska, Arizona, California, Georgia, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas, and Virginia. He has worked as a media consultant to the Associated Press, ABC, and NBC, and is frequently quoted in the media regarding United States elections. His opinion editorials have appeared in The Washington Post, USA Today, The Politico, The Hill, The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, The American Prospect, and Roll Call.
Sheila M. McDevitt Professor of Law and Faculty Director of the Election Law Center, Florida State University College of Law
Professor Morley joined FSU Law in 2018, and teaches and writes in the areas of election law, constitutional law, remedies, and the federal courts. He is best known for his work on election emergencies and post-election litigation, nationwide and other defendant-oriented injunctions, the jurisdiction of the federal courts and their equitable powers more generally. He has testified before congressional committees, made presentations to election officials for the U.S. Election Assistance Commission and participated in bipartisan blue-ribbon groups to develop election reforms. The governor of Florida also appointed Professor Morley to the Criminal Punishment Code Task Force, to propose potential revisions to the legislature.
The U.S. Supreme Court has cited several of his articles, and he was counsel of record for the successful Petitioner in a landmark campaign finance case. Professor Morley has appeared on C-SPAN, Court TV, Fox News and numerous local news programs, and has been quoted in the Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Roll Call, Politico, U.S. News and World Report, and a wide range of other national publications. His work has been published in many of the nation’s top law reviews, including the Georgetown Law Journal, Northwestern University Law Review, Boston University Law Review and Emory Law Journal.
Before joining FSU Law, Professor Morley was a Climenko Fellow and Lecturer in Law at Harvard Law School. Prior to his experience in academia, he served in government as special assistant to the General Counsel of the Army at the Pentagon, as well as a law clerk for Judge Gerald B. Tjoflat of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. During his tenure with the Army General Counsel’s office, he was awarded the Meritorious Civilian Service Award and the Army Staff Lapel Pin. He also worked as an associate at Williams & Connolly LLP and the Supreme Court & Appellate group of Winston & Strawn, LLP, both in Washington, D.C.
Professor Morley earned his J.D. from Yale Law School in 2003, where he was a senior editor on the Yale Law Journal; served on the moot court board; and received the Thurman Arnold Prize for Best Oralist in the Morris Tyler Moot Court of Appeals.
Justice, Florida Supreme Court
On May 23, 2023, Governor Ron DeSantis appointed Justice Meredith L. Sasso to be the 93rd justice of the Supreme Court of Florida.
Justice Sasso was raised in Tallahassee. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Florida in 2005 and her law degree from the University of Florida in 2008, where she was a member of the Justice Campbell Thornal Moot Court Board. She began her career in private practice, representing clients in large loss general liability, auto negligence, and complex commercial claims in state and federal courts at trial and on appeal. She also served as guardian ad litem, representing abused or neglected children.
In August 2016, Justice Sasso joined the Office of the General Counsel to Governor Rick Scott, serving as Chief Deputy General Counsel. In this role, she represented the Governor in litigation before the Florida Supreme Court, the First District Court of Appeal, and state and federal trial courts, among other duties. In January 2019, Governor Rick Scott appointed her to the Fifth District Court of Appeal. Governor Ron DeSantis recommissioned her to the newly created Sixth District Court of Appeal on January 1, 2023, where she was elected by her colleagues to serve as its first Chief Judge.
She is an appointed member of the Florida Bar Appellate Court Rules Committee. She is also a member of the American Enterprise Institute Leadership Network and the Federalist Society.
Founder, Consilia Law, PLLC
Phil Gordon is the founder of Consilia Law, PLLC, in Waco, Texas. He practices election and political law and regulatory compliance, and advises businesses in regulated industries.
Phil began his career as Associate Counsel to the 58th Presidential Inaugural Committee. He then spent nearly a decade at a nationally recognized political law firm in Washington, D.C. and built a litigation practice centered on election law, redistricting, and constitutional litigation. He has been author or co-author of nine briefs before the Supreme Court of the United States, including as counsel for parties in Moore v. Harper and Upstate Jobs Party v. Kosinski, and as amicus counsel in Alexander v. South Carolina State Conference of the NAACP, Trump v. Anderson, Gill v. Whitford, and Public Interest Legal Foundation v. Benson, among others.
Beyond the Supreme Court, Phil has tried redistricting cases before three-judge federal panels in Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Louisiana, including as trial counsel for the State of Louisiana in Robinson v. Callais. He has briefed appeals in the D.C., Second, Sixth, and Eleventh Circuits, including victories for the NRSC and RGA in the Eleventh Circuit and for New Republican PAC in the D.C. Circuit. His broader practice covers campaign finance compliance, FARA, and regulatory counsel for political committees, officeholders, advocacy organizations, and businesses operating in regulated environments.
Phil holds a J.D. from Baylor Law School, an M.S. in Community and Regional Planning from the University of Texas at Austin, and a B.A. in Philosophy from California State University, Los Angeles. He is licensed in Texas, Virginia, and the District of Columbia, and is admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of the United States, multiple federal courts of appeals, and several federal district courts.
Professor of Political Science, University of Florida
Dr. Michael P. McDonald is Professor of Political Science at University of Florida. He received his Ph.D. in Political Science from University of California, San Diego and B.S. in Economics from California Institute of Technology. He held a one-year post-doc fellowship at Harvard University and previously taught at Vanderbilt University; University of Illinois, Springfield; and George Mason University.
His research interests are in the areas of elections and methodology. His voter turnout research shows that turnout is not declining, the ineligible population is rising. He is a co-principle investigator on the Public Mapping Project, a project to encourage public participation in redistricting. He is co-author with Micah Altman of The Public Mapping Project: How Public Participation Can Revolutionize Redistricting; co-author with Micah Altman and Jeff Gill of Numerical Issues in Statistical Computing for the Social Scientist,and is co-editor with John Samples of The Marketplace of Democracy: Electoral Competition and American Politics. His research appears in several edited volumes and in scholarly journals including American Political Science Review, American Journal of Political Science, Journal of Politics, Public Opinion Quarterly, Political Behavior, Political Analysis, Political Geography, State Politics and Policy Quarterly, PS: Political Science and Politics, Sociological Methods and Research, Social Science Computing Review, The Election Law Journal, Política y Gobierno, and the law review journals of New York University Journal of Legislation and Public Policy, Duke J. Constitutional Law and Public Policy, University of Richmond Law Review, Case Western Law Review and the Georgetown Law Review.
On the practical side of politics, Dr. McDonald has worked for the national exit poll organization; consulted to the U.S. Election Assistance Commission; consulted to the Pew Center for the States; served on campaign staff for state legislative campaigns in California and Virginia; has worked for national polling firms; has been an expert witness for election lawsuits in Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Washington; and has worked as a redistricting consultant or expert witness in Alaska, Arizona, California, Georgia, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas, and Virginia. He has worked as a media consultant to the Associated Press, ABC, and NBC, and is frequently quoted in the media regarding United States elections. His opinion editorials have appeared in The Washington Post, USA Today, The Politico, The Hill, The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, The American Prospect, and Roll Call.
Sheila M. McDevitt Professor of Law and Faculty Director of the Election Law Center, Florida State University College of Law
Professor Morley joined FSU Law in 2018, and teaches and writes in the areas of election law, constitutional law, remedies, and the federal courts. He is best known for his work on election emergencies and post-election litigation, nationwide and other defendant-oriented injunctions, the jurisdiction of the federal courts and their equitable powers more generally. He has testified before congressional committees, made presentations to election officials for the U.S. Election Assistance Commission and participated in bipartisan blue-ribbon groups to develop election reforms. The governor of Florida also appointed Professor Morley to the Criminal Punishment Code Task Force, to propose potential revisions to the legislature.
The U.S. Supreme Court has cited several of his articles, and he was counsel of record for the successful Petitioner in a landmark campaign finance case. Professor Morley has appeared on C-SPAN, Court TV, Fox News and numerous local news programs, and has been quoted in the Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Roll Call, Politico, U.S. News and World Report, and a wide range of other national publications. His work has been published in many of the nation’s top law reviews, including the Georgetown Law Journal, Northwestern University Law Review, Boston University Law Review and Emory Law Journal.
Before joining FSU Law, Professor Morley was a Climenko Fellow and Lecturer in Law at Harvard Law School. Prior to his experience in academia, he served in government as special assistant to the General Counsel of the Army at the Pentagon, as well as a law clerk for Judge Gerald B. Tjoflat of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. During his tenure with the Army General Counsel’s office, he was awarded the Meritorious Civilian Service Award and the Army Staff Lapel Pin. He also worked as an associate at Williams & Connolly LLP and the Supreme Court & Appellate group of Winston & Strawn, LLP, both in Washington, D.C.
Professor Morley earned his J.D. from Yale Law School in 2003, where he was a senior editor on the Yale Law Journal; served on the moot court board; and received the Thurman Arnold Prize for Best Oralist in the Morris Tyler Moot Court of Appeals.
Justice, Florida Supreme Court
On May 23, 2023, Governor Ron DeSantis appointed Justice Meredith L. Sasso to be the 93rd justice of the Supreme Court of Florida.
Justice Sasso was raised in Tallahassee. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Florida in 2005 and her law degree from the University of Florida in 2008, where she was a member of the Justice Campbell Thornal Moot Court Board. She began her career in private practice, representing clients in large loss general liability, auto negligence, and complex commercial claims in state and federal courts at trial and on appeal. She also served as guardian ad litem, representing abused or neglected children.
In August 2016, Justice Sasso joined the Office of the General Counsel to Governor Rick Scott, serving as Chief Deputy General Counsel. In this role, she represented the Governor in litigation before the Florida Supreme Court, the First District Court of Appeal, and state and federal trial courts, among other duties. In January 2019, Governor Rick Scott appointed her to the Fifth District Court of Appeal. Governor Ron DeSantis recommissioned her to the newly created Sixth District Court of Appeal on January 1, 2023, where she was elected by her colleagues to serve as its first Chief Judge.
She is an appointed member of the Florida Bar Appellate Court Rules Committee. She is also a member of the American Enterprise Institute Leadership Network and the Federalist Society.
Founder, Consilia Law, PLLC
Phil Gordon is the founder of Consilia Law, PLLC, in Waco, Texas. He practices election and political law and regulatory compliance, and advises businesses in regulated industries.
Phil began his career as Associate Counsel to the 58th Presidential Inaugural Committee. He then spent nearly a decade at a nationally recognized political law firm in Washington, D.C. and built a litigation practice centered on election law, redistricting, and constitutional litigation. He has been author or co-author of nine briefs before the Supreme Court of the United States, including as counsel for parties in Moore v. Harper and Upstate Jobs Party v. Kosinski, and as amicus counsel in Alexander v. South Carolina State Conference of the NAACP, Trump v. Anderson, Gill v. Whitford, and Public Interest Legal Foundation v. Benson, among others.
Beyond the Supreme Court, Phil has tried redistricting cases before three-judge federal panels in Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Louisiana, including as trial counsel for the State of Louisiana in Robinson v. Callais. He has briefed appeals in the D.C., Second, Sixth, and Eleventh Circuits, including victories for the NRSC and RGA in the Eleventh Circuit and for New Republican PAC in the D.C. Circuit. His broader practice covers campaign finance compliance, FARA, and regulatory counsel for political committees, officeholders, advocacy organizations, and businesses operating in regulated environments.
Phil holds a J.D. from Baylor Law School, an M.S. in Community and Regional Planning from the University of Texas at Austin, and a B.A. in Philosophy from California State University, Los Angeles. He is licensed in Texas, Virginia, and the District of Columbia, and is admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of the United States, multiple federal courts of appeals, and several federal district courts.
Attorney General, Florida
Attorney General Ashley Moody, a fifth generation Floridian, was born and raised in Plant City, Florida. She attended the University of Florida where she earned her bachelors and masters degrees in accounting and juris doctorate. She later attended Stetson University College of Law earning a masters of law in international law. In 2018, she was elected the 38th Attorney General of Florida.
General Moody joined the United States Attorney’s Office prosecuting drug, firearm, and fraud offenses. While a federal prosecutor, Ashley was commended by the DEA for prosecutorial excellence and outstanding initiative in drug law enforcement. She was also recognized by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement for her lead of “Operation Round-Up,” a targeted prosecution of violent and repeat offenders.
In 2006, at the age of 31, General Moody became the youngest judge in Florida when she was elected Circuit Court Judge of the 13th Judicial Circuit in Hillsborough County. As a judge, she founded the Attorney Ad Litem program recruiting volunteer attorneys to stand in the place of parents who did not appear in court with their children. She also developed a mentoring program for at-risk children within the juvenile delinquency system.
Ashley is married to Justin, a federal law enforcement agent. They have two sons, Connor and Brandon. Their eldest son Brandon is serving in the United States Army.
Attorney General, Florida
Attorney General Ashley Moody, a fifth generation Floridian, was born and raised in Plant City, Florida. She attended the University of Florida where she earned her bachelors and masters degrees in accounting and juris doctorate. She later attended Stetson University College of Law earning a masters of law in international law. In 2018, she was elected the 38th Attorney General of Florida.
General Moody joined the United States Attorney’s Office prosecuting drug, firearm, and fraud offenses. While a federal prosecutor, Ashley was commended by the DEA for prosecutorial excellence and outstanding initiative in drug law enforcement. She was also recognized by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement for her lead of “Operation Round-Up,” a targeted prosecution of violent and repeat offenders.
In 2006, at the age of 31, General Moody became the youngest judge in Florida when she was elected Circuit Court Judge of the 13th Judicial Circuit in Hillsborough County. As a judge, she founded the Attorney Ad Litem program recruiting volunteer attorneys to stand in the place of parents who did not appear in court with their children. She also developed a mentoring program for at-risk children within the juvenile delinquency system.
Ashley is married to Justin, a federal law enforcement agent. They have two sons, Connor and Brandon. Their eldest son Brandon is serving in the United States Army.
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Michael P. McDonald, Michael T. Morley, Meredith Sasso, Phillip Michael Gordon
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Panel One: Redistricting in Florida: 2010s vs. 2020s
Michael P. McDonald, Michael T. Morley, Meredith Sasso, Phillip Michael Gordon
The first panel of the Federalist Society's Eighth Annual Florida Chapters Conference featured an impressive...
Remarks from Attorney General Ashley Moody [Florida Chapters Conference]
Ashley Moody
Florida Attorney General Ashley Moodey delievered the opening remarks at the Federalist Society's Eighth Annual...
Remarks from Attorney General Ashley Moody [Florida Chapters Conference]
Ashley Moody
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