Founder, President, and General Counsel, Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty
Rick Esenberg is the founder and current President and General Counsel of the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty, a rapidly expanding law and policy organization headquartered in Milwaukee. Under Rick’s leadership, WILL has grown into one of the more active state-based think tanks and litigation centers in the country. Rick is a frequent litigator in state and federal courts and nationally recognized scholar and commentator on constitutional law, particularly the First Amendment’s guarantees of freedom of speech and religion. He is one of the leading experts on the Wisconsin Constitution and a frequent advocate before the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Rick’s work seeks to advance the rule of law and individual liberty, formed by a robust civil society that forms individual and community character, preserving the wisdom of the past and an openness to the future.
Rick’s commentary has been featured in such outlets as the Wall Street Journal, National Review, Weekly Standard, Real Clear Politics, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and Washington Examiner. Formerly on the faculty of Marquette University Law School, his scholarship has appeared in such publications as the Harvard Law Review, Harvard Journal of Law & Public Policy, Wake Forest Law Review and William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal. Back when they were a thing, he operated a blog called Shark and Shepherd where he tried to suggest something about the duality of man – “the Jungian thing.”
Rick holds a J.D., magna cum laude, from Harvard Law School, where he was an editor of the Harvard Law Review, and a B.A., summa cum laude, in political science from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. In addition to service on the Marquette Faculty, he was formerly a litigation partner at Foley & Lardner and General Counsel of an international manufacturing firm headquartered in Wisconsin. He lives in Mequon Wisconsin with his wife Karen, golden retrievers Cooper and Riley and more books than he can find places for.
Judge, Waukesha County Circuit Court
Judge Michael P. Maxwell was elected by the citizens of Waukesha County in 2015 and re-elected in 2021 to serve as the presiding judge for Branch 8. He has served as the presiding judge for both the criminal and civil divisions and as the county’s probate judge. Judge Maxwell has also been previously appointed to serve on the state-wide commercial court. Previously, Judge Maxwell owned his own law firm, where he practiced in the areas of bankruptcy, civil litigation and consumer law.
He previously served as a Chapter 7 Bankruptcy trustee for the Eastern District of Wisconsin. Judge Maxwell also served his community as chairman of the board and a board director of Landmark Credit Union, the largest credit union in the state. Judge Maxwell has served on the State Public Defender Board and as a town supervisor for the Town of Brookfield. Judge Maxwell is a veteran of the U.S. Army and Army National Guard, having served from 1987 to 1991.
Counsel, Wilkinson Stekloff
Jenna Swarbrick (née Pavelec) is Counsel at Wilkinson Stekloff. During her time at the firm, Jenna has represented clients in antitrust, consumer class action, sports, and other matters.
Recently, Jenna was a member of the trial team that secured a groundbreaking victory for Microsoft in the FTC’s challenge to Microsoft’s $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard, and played a key role in the appellate briefing that resulted in a unanimous affirmance from the Ninth Circuit. Jenna also maintains an active pro bono practice, representing clients in trial, appellate, and post-conviction matters in both state and federal courts. She has been recognized for her pro bono service on the D.C. Court of Appeals’ Capital Pro Bono Honor Roll.
Jenna previously served as a Law Clerk to Justice Brett Kavanaugh on the U.S. Supreme Court, Judge Raymond Kethledge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, and Judge Amul Thapar, also on the Sixth Circuit.
Jenna graduated from Yale Law School, where she served as Editor-in-Chief for the Yale Journal on Regulation. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison where she was a coxswain for the women’s varsity lightweight crew team. Jenna also serves on the board for the Federalist Society’s DC Young Lawyers Chapter.
Senior Litigation Counsel, New Civil Liberties Alliance
Mr. Vecchione is a Senior Litigation Counsel for the non-profit New Civil Liberties Alliance representing clients against the Administrative State. He was previously President and CEO of the non-profit Cause of Action Institute, also advancing the constitutional order. He practiced at a number of D.C. area firms, including the eponymous John J. Vecchione Law, PLLC. Mr. Vecchione focuses his practice on strategic litigation in the federal district and appellate courts, including the Supreme Court of the United States. He is an experienced trial and appellate advocate having tried cases and argued appeals across the country. He is a member of the bars of the State of New York, the District of Columbia, and the Commonwealth of Virginia, as well as the Supreme Court of the United States and many federal courts. His cases are reported in scores of published opinions. He has also published pieces advancing the freedom agenda and constitutional order in the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Times and many other forums. He lives in Virginia with his wife Rebecca, sons Tommy and Joe.
Senior Fellow in Constitutional Jurisprudence, Independence Institute
Professor Robert G. Natelson is a constitutional scholar and author.
Rob’s constitutional scholarship has been cited repeatedly by justices and parties at the U.S. Supreme Court—as well as by federal appeals courts, and at least 18 state supreme courts.
Rob’s research into the Constitution’s original meaning has carried him to libraries throughout the United States and in Britain, including four months at Oxford University. His books and articles span many different parts of the Constitution, including groundbreaking studies of the Necessary and Proper Clause, the Indian Commerce Clause, federalism, Founding-Era interpretation, regulation of elections, and the amendment process of Article V. He created the first-ever online bibliography for 18th century materials used in constitutional research. He is a contributing author to the Encyclopedia of the Supreme Court of the United States (on Magna Carta). He contributed eight essays to the third edition of the Heritage Guide to the Constitution: five on the amendment procedure and one each on the Guarantee Clause, the Postal Clause, and the Recess Appointments Clause.
U.S. Supreme Court justices have relied explicitly on Rob’s research in 41 citations in 13 separate cases.
Deputy Solicitor General, Alabama Office of the Attorney General
Barrett Bowdre serves as deputy solicitor general in the Alabama Attorney General’s Office, where he helps to oversee the state’s appellate docket and defend the state’s interests in state and federal courts throughout the country. He is a former law clerk to Judge Paul J. Kelly, Jr., of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit, then-Chief Judge W. Keith Watkins of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama, and then-Chief Judge Ed Carnes of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. He holds a J.D., summa cum laude, from the University of Alabama School of Law and a B.A., cum laude, from Furman University. Before attending law school, he worked as a research assistant at the American Enterprise Institute, where he researched civic education initiatives and helped compile literary anthologies exploring the American character.
Sean Collins is a member of the University of Alabama School of Law class of 2024. After graduation, he will serve as a law clerk to Judge Allen Winsor of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida, then as a law clerk to Judge Robert Luck of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. Before attending law school, he graduated magna cum laude from Hillsdale College, where he studied Classics, Philosophy, and Religion and was a member of one of the only undergraduate Federalist Society chapters in the country.
Panel 2: Tariffs and Presidential Power: Where We Are and What Comes Next
2026 Wisconsin Chapters Conference
Delafield, WIThe Meaning of "Regulate Commerce" to the Constitution's Ratifiers
Robert G. Natelson
I. Previous Scholarship[1] A. Views of “Commerce”: Traditional and “Mega” The Constitution grants Congress power...
State Court Docket Watch: Glass v. City of Montgomery
Barrett Bowdre, Sean Collins
Alabama’s constitution prohibits the legislature from enacting a “local law”—one that applies only in one...