Partner, Holtzman Vogel
Mohammad “Mo” Jazil is a partner with Holtzman Vogel. His broad litigation practice includes state and federal constitutional cases, financial disputes, environmental disputes, white-collar criminal matters, and government investigations. Mohammad has served as first chair in federal and state court trials. He has briefed and argued dispositive motions and appeals before the federal courts, state appellate courts, and state supreme courts. He has also briefed cases before the U.S. Supreme Court, though he has never argued a case there.
Chambers USA calls Mohammad “a very good thinker,” “fantastic,” and “an excellent litigator.”
Since the summer of 2018, Mohammad has represented two Florida Governors and four Florida Secretaries of State on election-related and redistricting matters before federal and state trial courts, the Florida Supreme Court, the Eleventh Circuit, and the U.S. Supreme Court. Notably, this work includes wins in nine federal cases related to Florida’s 2018 recounts; the successful defense of Florida’s felon re-enfranchisement program; federal and state-court decisions upholding Florida’s most recent congressional plan; and the defense of various election-related statutes.
Mohammad represents other public officials as well. He has represented two Speakers of the Florida House of Representatives on issues as varied as cannabis regulation and transportation policy. And he has represented Florida’s Surgeon General, members of Florida’s Boards of Medicine and Osteopathic Medicine, and the head of Florida’s Medicaid agency on health-policy issues.
Finally, Mohammad routinely represents companies and individuals on a variety of issues. This work includes pricing and tax disputes involving some of the country’s largest companies, commercial disputes where he has obtained and collected on eight-figure trial judgments, and criminal proceedings.
David Johnson is a partner at Holtzman Vogel and focuses his practice on political and election law regulatory compliance, appellate law, and state attorneys general investigations and litigation.
Prior to joining the firm, David was Policy Director and General Counsel to the Republican Attorneys General Association, as well as serving as president for the Rule of Law Defense Fund and Center for Law and Policy. In these roles, he worked closely with Republican attorneys general and their staff on developing and advancing policy priorities. He has also worked with President Trump's administration and other leading Republican political and conservative policy organizations with respect to key policy initiatives.
Previously, David was Senior Counsel with the Office of the Indiana Attorney General where he advised the Attorney General on strategy with respect to litigation, communications, complex legal objectives, and policy goals. Prior to joining the Indiana Office of Attorney General, David served as Corporation Counsel for Lawrence, Indiana. In that role, David advised on myriad issues including municipal bonding, human resources, and capital projects. And before that, David served as Deputy General Counsel and Policy Director for Governor Mike Pence, providing strategic counsel to the Governor on litigation, policy, crisis communications, and legislative strategy, as well as guiding policy efforts on gaming issues in Indiana.
He earned his AB from Wabash College, and his JD from the Indiana University McKinney School of Law.
Partner, Holtzman Vogel
Mark Pinkert is a litigation and appellate partner with Holtzman Vogel. He represents clients at every stage of litigation, in state and federal courts around the country. He has extensive experience in constitutional law, administrative law, political law, antitrust, white collar defense, and complex commercial disputes. Additionally, Mark maintains an active practice focused on religious freedom, First Amendment rights, and combatting antisemitism, especially on college campuses.
Mark is a formidable writer and advocate. He has drafted letters, white papers to government agencies, legal memoranda, regulatory comments, complaints, dispositive motions, motions in limine, appellate briefs, and several briefs in the U.S. Supreme Court. His incisive and persuasive writing style has helped him earn key victories for his clients. Mark has argued a Daubert motion in a multi-billion-dollar environmental dispute and was recently appointed lead counsel by the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals to represent an indigent petitioner in a habeas corpus appeal. Mark’s legal commentary has been published in The Wall Street Journal, National Review, Times of Israel, Daily Business Review, University of Miami Law Review, and many others.
Mark is also an adept legal strategist, advising some of the largest companies in the world on their most pressing issues. Rather than merely react to problems, he provides holistic thinking and anticipates issues before they arise. He helps clients develop proactive plans of action that mitigate risks, avoid conflict, and reduce costs.
Before joining Holtzman Vogel, Mark worked at a global law firm and clerked for the Honorable Adalberto Jordan (11th Cir.) and the Honorable Roy K. Altman (S.D. Fla.). Clerking at both the trial and appellate levels has given him rare insight into the federal court system and has sharpened his advocacy.
At Yale Law School, Mark was an Articles Editor for the Yale Law Journal and an editor for the Yale Journal of Law & Humanities. He was also a research assistant and taught constitutional law to high school students in New Haven.
Partner, Holtzman Vogel Baran Torchinsky & Josefiak PLLC
Brandon Smith is a partner at Holtzman Vogel, based in Tennessee, where he focuses on government investigations, white collar matters, and specialty litigation. A seasoned government leader and legal strategist, Brandon has played a central role in shaping conservative policy and litigation at the highest levels of state government.
Before joining the firm, Brandon served as Chief of Staff and Assistant Solicitor General in the Tennessee Attorney General’s Office. In that role, he led multi-state litigation, high-profile constitutional challenges, and efforts to counter federal overreach and ESG-related corporate activism. He worked closely with nearly every Republican Attorney General’s Office in the country, coordinating litigation, strategy, and multi-state policy efforts.
Earlier in his career, Brandon served as Executive Director of Legislative and Regulatory Affairs for Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin and as Policy Director to Kansas Governor Sam Brownback, where he helped drive key legislative and budget initiatives. He also held roles as Deputy Director of the Federalist Society and as an adjunct professor at American University.
Brandon’s career has been defined by a commitment to defending federalism, advancing conservative governance, and shaping legal and policy fights that matter.
Solicitor General, Iowa Office of the Attorney General
Eric Wessan serves as Iowa’s Solicitor General in the Iowa Attorney General’s Office. In that
role, Wessan leads Iowa’s litigation before State and federal appellate courts, including the Iowa
and U.S. Supreme Courts. Before that role, Wessan worked on complex commercial litigation at
two large law firms in Chicago. Wessan also served as a law clerk for the Honorable James C.
Ho on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and for the Honorable John F. Kness on the
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Wessan is a graduate of the University of
Chicago Law School, with honors, and of the University of Chicago.
Attorney, Texas Public Policy Foundation
Eric Heigis is an attorney with the Texas Public Policy Foundation’s litigation arm, the Center for the American Future. He litigates cases involving administrative law, individual rights, and structural limits on government power. Prior to joining the Foundation, he served in various roles on Capitol Hill, including as an intern for Senator Ted Cruz, Legislative Assistant for Representative Dave Brat, Legislative Director for Representative Mark Meadows, and General Counsel for Senator Ted Budd. In his eight years working for Congress he covered nearly every policy area and drafted dozens of legislative proposals—several of which became law.
Eric received his B.A. from American University and J.D., magna cum laude, from the Georgetown University Law Center. He was selected as a Bradley Scholar at the Georgetown Center for the Constitution and served as Executive Editor of the Georgetown Journal of Law and Public Policy. He is licensed to practice law in California and Virginia. He is admitted to practice before all federal district courts in Texas and the Courts of Appeals for the Fifth, Ninth, Eleventh, and D.C. Circuits.
Eric is a pilot and certificated flight instructor, and in his free time he enjoys finding new fly-in destinations to visit with his wife. He also volunteers with the Experimental Aircraft Association’s Young Eagles program and is a Captain in the Civil Air Patrol.
Legal Fellow, Pacific Legal Foundation
Sydney Madigan joined Pacific Legal Foundation in August 2024. Before coming to PLF, she clerked for the Hon. Joseph L. Falvey, Jr., of the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims. Sydney is a graduate of George Mason University Antonin Scalia Law School, where she served as the Federalist Society Chapter president. In addition to her law degree, she holds a degree in mathematics from Christendom College, where she researched the philosophical controversy surrounding computer-assisted proofs.
Sydney and her husband live in Virginia with their children.
Publius comes from the pen name Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay used when they wrote 85 publicly printed letters now known as the Federalist Papers. Hamilton chose “Publius” as a name that would represent friends of the newly proposed American republic - Publius Valeria Publicola was a Roman general who helped to found the Roman Republic. The Federalist Society continues the tradition of publishing things under the name Publius in celebration of our constitutional roots and recognition that author credit is not always necessary.
Partner, Holtzman Vogel
Mohammad “Mo” Jazil is a partner with Holtzman Vogel. His broad litigation practice includes state and federal constitutional cases, financial disputes, environmental disputes, white-collar criminal matters, and government investigations. Mohammad has served as first chair in federal and state court trials. He has briefed and argued dispositive motions and appeals before the federal courts, state appellate courts, and state supreme courts. He has also briefed cases before the U.S. Supreme Court, though he has never argued a case there.
Chambers USA calls Mohammad “a very good thinker,” “fantastic,” and “an excellent litigator.”
Since the summer of 2018, Mohammad has represented two Florida Governors and four Florida Secretaries of State on election-related and redistricting matters before federal and state trial courts, the Florida Supreme Court, the Eleventh Circuit, and the U.S. Supreme Court. Notably, this work includes wins in nine federal cases related to Florida’s 2018 recounts; the successful defense of Florida’s felon re-enfranchisement program; federal and state-court decisions upholding Florida’s most recent congressional plan; and the defense of various election-related statutes.
Mohammad represents other public officials as well. He has represented two Speakers of the Florida House of Representatives on issues as varied as cannabis regulation and transportation policy. And he has represented Florida’s Surgeon General, members of Florida’s Boards of Medicine and Osteopathic Medicine, and the head of Florida’s Medicaid agency on health-policy issues.
Finally, Mohammad routinely represents companies and individuals on a variety of issues. This work includes pricing and tax disputes involving some of the country’s largest companies, commercial disputes where he has obtained and collected on eight-figure trial judgments, and criminal proceedings.
David Johnson is a partner at Holtzman Vogel and focuses his practice on political and election law regulatory compliance, appellate law, and state attorneys general investigations and litigation.
Prior to joining the firm, David was Policy Director and General Counsel to the Republican Attorneys General Association, as well as serving as president for the Rule of Law Defense Fund and Center for Law and Policy. In these roles, he worked closely with Republican attorneys general and their staff on developing and advancing policy priorities. He has also worked with President Trump's administration and other leading Republican political and conservative policy organizations with respect to key policy initiatives.
Previously, David was Senior Counsel with the Office of the Indiana Attorney General where he advised the Attorney General on strategy with respect to litigation, communications, complex legal objectives, and policy goals. Prior to joining the Indiana Office of Attorney General, David served as Corporation Counsel for Lawrence, Indiana. In that role, David advised on myriad issues including municipal bonding, human resources, and capital projects. And before that, David served as Deputy General Counsel and Policy Director for Governor Mike Pence, providing strategic counsel to the Governor on litigation, policy, crisis communications, and legislative strategy, as well as guiding policy efforts on gaming issues in Indiana.
He earned his AB from Wabash College, and his JD from the Indiana University McKinney School of Law.
Partner, Holtzman Vogel
Mark Pinkert is a litigation and appellate partner with Holtzman Vogel. He represents clients at every stage of litigation, in state and federal courts around the country. He has extensive experience in constitutional law, administrative law, political law, antitrust, white collar defense, and complex commercial disputes. Additionally, Mark maintains an active practice focused on religious freedom, First Amendment rights, and combatting antisemitism, especially on college campuses.
Mark is a formidable writer and advocate. He has drafted letters, white papers to government agencies, legal memoranda, regulatory comments, complaints, dispositive motions, motions in limine, appellate briefs, and several briefs in the U.S. Supreme Court. His incisive and persuasive writing style has helped him earn key victories for his clients. Mark has argued a Daubert motion in a multi-billion-dollar environmental dispute and was recently appointed lead counsel by the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals to represent an indigent petitioner in a habeas corpus appeal. Mark’s legal commentary has been published in The Wall Street Journal, National Review, Times of Israel, Daily Business Review, University of Miami Law Review, and many others.
Mark is also an adept legal strategist, advising some of the largest companies in the world on their most pressing issues. Rather than merely react to problems, he provides holistic thinking and anticipates issues before they arise. He helps clients develop proactive plans of action that mitigate risks, avoid conflict, and reduce costs.
Before joining Holtzman Vogel, Mark worked at a global law firm and clerked for the Honorable Adalberto Jordan (11th Cir.) and the Honorable Roy K. Altman (S.D. Fla.). Clerking at both the trial and appellate levels has given him rare insight into the federal court system and has sharpened his advocacy.
At Yale Law School, Mark was an Articles Editor for the Yale Law Journal and an editor for the Yale Journal of Law & Humanities. He was also a research assistant and taught constitutional law to high school students in New Haven.
Partner, Holtzman Vogel Baran Torchinsky & Josefiak PLLC
Brandon Smith is a partner at Holtzman Vogel, based in Tennessee, where he focuses on government investigations, white collar matters, and specialty litigation. A seasoned government leader and legal strategist, Brandon has played a central role in shaping conservative policy and litigation at the highest levels of state government.
Before joining the firm, Brandon served as Chief of Staff and Assistant Solicitor General in the Tennessee Attorney General’s Office. In that role, he led multi-state litigation, high-profile constitutional challenges, and efforts to counter federal overreach and ESG-related corporate activism. He worked closely with nearly every Republican Attorney General’s Office in the country, coordinating litigation, strategy, and multi-state policy efforts.
Earlier in his career, Brandon served as Executive Director of Legislative and Regulatory Affairs for Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin and as Policy Director to Kansas Governor Sam Brownback, where he helped drive key legislative and budget initiatives. He also held roles as Deputy Director of the Federalist Society and as an adjunct professor at American University.
Brandon’s career has been defined by a commitment to defending federalism, advancing conservative governance, and shaping legal and policy fights that matter.
Solicitor General, Iowa Office of the Attorney General
Eric Wessan serves as Iowa’s Solicitor General in the Iowa Attorney General’s Office. In that
role, Wessan leads Iowa’s litigation before State and federal appellate courts, including the Iowa
and U.S. Supreme Courts. Before that role, Wessan worked on complex commercial litigation at
two large law firms in Chicago. Wessan also served as a law clerk for the Honorable James C.
Ho on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and for the Honorable John F. Kness on the
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Wessan is a graduate of the University of
Chicago Law School, with honors, and of the University of Chicago.
State AGs and the Supreme Court 2025 Term
Mohammad Jazil, David P. Johnson, Mark I. Pinkert, Brandon J. Smith, Eric Wessan
Presented by the In-House Counsel Network andHoltzman Vogel Baran Torchinsky & Josefiak PLLC State...
State AGs and the Supreme Court 2025 Term
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Publius
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