Judge, Ohio Twelfth District Court of Appeals
Judge Matthew R. Byrne was elected to the Ohio Court of Appeals for the Twelfth District in 2020, and his first term began on January 1, 2021. He is currently serving as the court's elected Administrative Judge. The Twelfth District Court of Appeals hears civil and criminal appeals from the trial courts in eight counties in southwest Ohio. Judge Byrne is active in the Ohio Judicial Conference and the Ohio Court of Appeals Judges Association. He also currently serves as a member and vice chair of the Ohio Supreme Court's Commission on the Rules of Practice and Procedure (where he previously chaired the Appellate Rules Committee). He previously served as a member of the Ohio Supreme Court's Commission on Character and Fitness.
From January 2010 to December 2020, Judge Byrne practiced law at the national law firm of Jackson Lewis P.C. He was a member of the firm's General Employment Litigation Practice Group and the Wage and Hour Practice Group. From 2007 to 2010 he practiced at Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP. At both firms, Judge Byrne represented clients ranging from small businesses to international corporations in state and federal trial and appellate litigation, including multiple class and collective actions. He also represented clients in arbitration and before numerous administrative agencies, including the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the National Labor Relations Board, and the Ohio Civil Rights Commission.
Judge Byrne earned his law degree, cum laude, from The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law. During law school he was symposium editor of the Ohio State Law Journal and the winner of the Donald S. Teller Memorial Award for student writing contributing most significantly to the Ohio State Law Journal. During law school he clerked for the Acting General Counsel of the United States Department of the Treasury. Judge Byrne earned his bachelor's degree, magna cum laude, from Xavier University, where he majored in International Affairs (Business) and Political Science.
Prior to entering law school Judge Byrne served in President George W. Bush's Administration as a member of the White House staff in the Office of Presidential Personnel, the office responsible for selecting candidates to recommend to the President for appointment or nomination to high-level government positions, and for coordinating with the Offices of White House Counsel, Press Secretary, and Executive Clerk regarding candidate background clearances, press announcements, and the status of appointments/nominations.
Judge Byrne has been a member of the Federalist Society since law school and he served for five years as president of the Federalist Society's Cincinnati Lawyers Chapter. He is a member of a number of other community and civic organizations, including the Ohio State Bar Association and the bar associations of Butler, Clermont, and Warren Counties. Judge Byrne previously was a member of the Advisory Board of Pregnancy Center East and a board member and president of the St. Thomas More Lawyers Guild of Greater Cincinnati.
Judge Byrne is an active parishioner at his church, where he is a lector, a former member and president of the Education Commission, and a former member of the Finance and Administration Commission.
Judge Byrne resides in Deerfield Township, Warren County, Ohio with his wife Julie and their three children.
General Counsel, House Republican Caucus , Michigan House of Representatives
State Rep. Andrew Fink was first elected to serve the 35th District in the Michigan House of Representatives in November 2020. The district encompasses all of Branch and Hillsdale counties, and the city of Hudson in Lenawee County. Rep. Fink serves as Republican vice chair of the House Judiciary Committee. Last term, he served as vice chair of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Military and Veterans Affairs and State Police, and also as a member of the House Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Insurance and Financial Services, and General Government Appropriations subcommittees, as well as the Health Policy Committee.
Before taking office, Rep. Fink went into active duty and worked as a judge advocate for Marines and their families. He left the military as a captain in 2014. In 2017, he moved to Hillsdale from Ypsilanti to open a local office of his family’s law firm, Fink and Fink.
Rep. Fink graduated from Hillsdale College in 2006 with a B.A. in Politics. He then earned his J.D. from the University of Michigan Law school in 2010.
Judge, Wisconsin Second District Court of Appeals
HON. MARIA S. LAZAR, Wisconsin Court of Appeals, District II, August, 2022—present. Waukesha
County Circuit Court Judge, August, 2015-July, 2022, rotations included Presiding Judge Juvenile
Division; Criminal Division, Presiding Judge; Drug Treatment Court Judge; and Civil Division. Formerly
a Wisconsin Assistant Attorney General, in the Special Litigation and Appeals unit and was in private
practice for 20 years. She was President of the Milwaukee Bar Association, was on its Board of Directors
and served two terms on the State of Wisconsin’s Board of Governors. Judge Lazar earned her B.A.
degree, magna cum laude, from Mount Mary College and her J.D. from Georgetown University Law
Center.
Judge, Michigan First District Court of Appeals
Hon. Michael J. Riordan was appointed to the Michigan Court of Appeals by Governor Rick Snyder on March 16, 2012. In November 2012, he was elected to a full six-year term, and he was reelected in 2018 and 2024. Previously, Judge Riordan served as an assistant U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan, as assistant general counsel for the Northwestern Mutual Financial Network in Milwaukee, and as a senior attorney in the Enforcement Division of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. He also was an inspector with the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (now known as Customs and Border Protection). On graduation from law school, he served as a federal judicial law clerk for the Honorable Robert E. DeMascio of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. Judge Riordan has also been an adjunct professor of securities regulation, business organizations, and administrative law at the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law for 25 years. He is a past president of the Federal Bar Association of the Eastern District of Michigan and of the Incorporated Society of Irish American Lawyers, the Michigan Lawyers Chapter of the Federalist Society, and the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law Alumni Association. Judge Riordan is also on the board of directors of the Catholic Lawyers Society and the Marywood Nursing Care Center, and is a past member of the board of directors for Detroit’s Loyola High School and PBJ Outreach. He is a member of the State Bar of Michigan, having served on its Board of Commissioners and in its Representative Assembly, and has represented the state bar on ICLE's Executive Committee since 2017.
Judge, Illinois 18th Judicial Circuit
Judge Kenton Skarin serves on the Illinois 18th Judicial Circuit, a trial court of general jurisdiction that serves almost one million people in the western suburbs of Chicago.
Judge Skarin graduated first in his class from Northwestern University School of Law and summa cum laude from North Central College in Naperville, Illinois.
Earlier in his career, Judge Skarin clerked for Associate Justice Clarence Thomas at the United States Supreme Court and for Judge J. Harvie Wilkinson III at the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. Judge Skarin also practiced appellate law in the Chicago office of Jones Day and served as Deputy General Counsel to the Governor of Illinois.
Judge Skarin is a lifelong native of Wheaton, Illinois, where he lives with his wife and children.
Michigan State Representative, 37th House District
State Representative Vicki Barnett is serving her second term in the Michigan House. She represents the 37th House District, which includes the cities of Farmington and Farmington Hills.
Before coming to the House, Barnett served on the Farmington Hills City Council from 1995 to 2003 and as Mayor of Farmington Hills from 2003 to 2007. As mayor, Barnett worked with state and federal officials to improve police, fire and emergency communications and crafted legislation to encourage economic redevelopment in metropolitan areas.
Barnett is a graduate of the University of Michigan-Dearborn, receiving her master’s in business administration in 1991. A former investment consultant, Barnett also served as the president of the Michigan Municipal League, chair of the Data Advisory Council for the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments, and as a board member of the National League of Cities.
Barnett and her husband, Mark, live in Farmington Hills. They have two grown children, Samantha and Jordan.
Member, Devaney Jacob Wilson, PLLC
Dennis is a former Board Member of the National Labor Relations Board and Commissioner of the U.S.International Trade Commission. He served as a presidential appointee under four U.S. presidents. His labor and employment practice focuses on traditional labor law, including representation of clients with respect to matters arising under the National Labor Relations Act. He also represents employers in defense of discrimination claims and with respect to collective bargaining agreement negotiation and administration. He counsels employers on all FMLA, ADA, FLSA, ELCRA and other state and federal employment laws, assists in formulating personnel policies, and with respect to litigation before courts, administrative agencies and arbitration tribunals.
Dennis also counsels clients on international trade issues. In 2001, as a Commissioner of the U.S. International Trade Commission, Dennis participated in perhaps the most significant “Section 201” safeguards case ever brought before the Commission. He has also been involved in anti-dumping and countervailing duty proceedings, as well as with respect to U.S. unfair trade cases. Dennis was actively involved in many of the significant international trade initiatives of the last several decades, including creation of the World Trade Organization (WTO), the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA), bilateral free trade agreements, U.S.-Japan trade relations, and WTO Accession and economic sanctions reform. Dennis also provides advice to employers with respect to executive branch trade issues and before the U.S. Congress.
Dennis is a graduate of Georgetown University Law Center and holds undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Maryland. He has served as a visiting professor at several prestigious law schools. Dennis has practiced law for 33 years, 21 of which were in private practice in Washington D.C. and the Detroit area.
Senior Research Associate, National Institute for Labor Relations Research
Stan Greer serves as senior research associate for the National Institute for Labor Relations Research. Mr. Greer holds a bachelor’s degree (1983) from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., and a master’s degree (1986) from the University of Pittsburgh.
Member, Kienbaum Opperwall Hardy & Pelton, PLC
Mr. Pelton is a founding member of the firm, and serves as its managing member. He has represented employers in litigation and concerning traditional labor matters for 25 years. He has tried, arbitrated, and mediated cases throughout the country. He has also enjoyed representing clients on election law issues and previously served on the Michigan Board of State Canvassers. Mr. Pelton is currently a member of the Michigan Board of Law Examiners having been appointed by the Governor on nomination by the Michigan Supreme Court.
Mr. Pelton has been identified by Chambers USA as a leader in the employment field in Michigan. He is also listed in The Best Lawyers in America in the employment and labor field.
At Syracuse University College of Law, Mr. Pelton served as an Executive Editor of the Law Review. He has conducted many workshops and client seminars on employment and labor law topics, has lectured on wage and hour issues for the prestigious National Employment Law Institute, and has served as an adjunct faculty member at Wayne State University Law School. He is a contributing author of Employment Law in Michigan: An Employer's Guide and State of the Law in Michigan: Employment and Labor Law, both published by the Institute of Continuing Legal Education. Mr. Pelton served as a Commissioner of the State Bar of Michigan, appointed by the Michigan Supreme Court, and serves on the Federalist Society's Labor and Employment Practice Group National Executive Committee.
Michigan State Representative, 65th House District
State Rep. Mike Shirkey was first elected to the Michigan House in November 2010. He represents the 65th District, which includes Springport, Tompkins, Rives, Blackman, Henrietta, Leoni, Waterloo, Grass Lake, Norvell, Columbia and Liberty townships in Jackson County. The district also includes Cambridge Township in Lenawee County and the City of Eaton Rapids along with Hamlin and Brookfield townships in Eaton County.
Shirkey earned a bachelor's degree from General Motors Institute (GMI) in 1978, and a master of science in mechanical engineering from the University of Wisconsin at Madison in 1979.
Mike is the founder and owner of Orbitform, a leading engineering company that manufactures forming, fastening, joining and assembly equipment for a wide range of industries and applications. The company provides world-class prototype engineering services for assembly of parts and specialized forming and fastening. Mike also worked for General Motors in various management and engineering roles for 13 years.
Mike served on the Columbia Central School Board in the 1980s and '90s. Shirkey also is the past board chair of Allegiance Health System and is a current board member.
Asstant Research Scientist, Institute for Research on Labor, Emp, and the Economy
Roland Zullo, PhD, is a labor relations professor and privatization expert at the University of Michigan.
Michigan State Representative, 37th House District
State Representative Vicki Barnett is serving her second term in the Michigan House. She represents the 37th House District, which includes the cities of Farmington and Farmington Hills.
Before coming to the House, Barnett served on the Farmington Hills City Council from 1995 to 2003 and as Mayor of Farmington Hills from 2003 to 2007. As mayor, Barnett worked with state and federal officials to improve police, fire and emergency communications and crafted legislation to encourage economic redevelopment in metropolitan areas.
Barnett is a graduate of the University of Michigan-Dearborn, receiving her master’s in business administration in 1991. A former investment consultant, Barnett also served as the president of the Michigan Municipal League, chair of the Data Advisory Council for the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments, and as a board member of the National League of Cities.
Barnett and her husband, Mark, live in Farmington Hills. They have two grown children, Samantha and Jordan.
Member, Devaney Jacob Wilson, PLLC
Dennis is a former Board Member of the National Labor Relations Board and Commissioner of the U.S.International Trade Commission. He served as a presidential appointee under four U.S. presidents. His labor and employment practice focuses on traditional labor law, including representation of clients with respect to matters arising under the National Labor Relations Act. He also represents employers in defense of discrimination claims and with respect to collective bargaining agreement negotiation and administration. He counsels employers on all FMLA, ADA, FLSA, ELCRA and other state and federal employment laws, assists in formulating personnel policies, and with respect to litigation before courts, administrative agencies and arbitration tribunals.
Dennis also counsels clients on international trade issues. In 2001, as a Commissioner of the U.S. International Trade Commission, Dennis participated in perhaps the most significant “Section 201” safeguards case ever brought before the Commission. He has also been involved in anti-dumping and countervailing duty proceedings, as well as with respect to U.S. unfair trade cases. Dennis was actively involved in many of the significant international trade initiatives of the last several decades, including creation of the World Trade Organization (WTO), the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA), bilateral free trade agreements, U.S.-Japan trade relations, and WTO Accession and economic sanctions reform. Dennis also provides advice to employers with respect to executive branch trade issues and before the U.S. Congress.
Dennis is a graduate of Georgetown University Law Center and holds undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Maryland. He has served as a visiting professor at several prestigious law schools. Dennis has practiced law for 33 years, 21 of which were in private practice in Washington D.C. and the Detroit area.
Senior Research Associate, National Institute for Labor Relations Research
Stan Greer serves as senior research associate for the National Institute for Labor Relations Research. Mr. Greer holds a bachelor’s degree (1983) from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., and a master’s degree (1986) from the University of Pittsburgh.
Member, Kienbaum Opperwall Hardy & Pelton, PLC
Mr. Pelton is a founding member of the firm, and serves as its managing member. He has represented employers in litigation and concerning traditional labor matters for 25 years. He has tried, arbitrated, and mediated cases throughout the country. He has also enjoyed representing clients on election law issues and previously served on the Michigan Board of State Canvassers. Mr. Pelton is currently a member of the Michigan Board of Law Examiners having been appointed by the Governor on nomination by the Michigan Supreme Court.
Mr. Pelton has been identified by Chambers USA as a leader in the employment field in Michigan. He is also listed in The Best Lawyers in America in the employment and labor field.
At Syracuse University College of Law, Mr. Pelton served as an Executive Editor of the Law Review. He has conducted many workshops and client seminars on employment and labor law topics, has lectured on wage and hour issues for the prestigious National Employment Law Institute, and has served as an adjunct faculty member at Wayne State University Law School. He is a contributing author of Employment Law in Michigan: An Employer's Guide and State of the Law in Michigan: Employment and Labor Law, both published by the Institute of Continuing Legal Education. Mr. Pelton served as a Commissioner of the State Bar of Michigan, appointed by the Michigan Supreme Court, and serves on the Federalist Society's Labor and Employment Practice Group National Executive Committee.
Michigan State Representative, 65th House District
State Rep. Mike Shirkey was first elected to the Michigan House in November 2010. He represents the 65th District, which includes Springport, Tompkins, Rives, Blackman, Henrietta, Leoni, Waterloo, Grass Lake, Norvell, Columbia and Liberty townships in Jackson County. The district also includes Cambridge Township in Lenawee County and the City of Eaton Rapids along with Hamlin and Brookfield townships in Eaton County.
Shirkey earned a bachelor's degree from General Motors Institute (GMI) in 1978, and a master of science in mechanical engineering from the University of Wisconsin at Madison in 1979.
Mike is the founder and owner of Orbitform, a leading engineering company that manufactures forming, fastening, joining and assembly equipment for a wide range of industries and applications. The company provides world-class prototype engineering services for assembly of parts and specialized forming and fastening. Mike also worked for General Motors in various management and engineering roles for 13 years.
Mike served on the Columbia Central School Board in the 1980s and '90s. Shirkey also is the past board chair of Allegiance Health System and is a current board member.
Asstant Research Scientist, Institute for Research on Labor, Emp, and the Economy
Roland Zullo, PhD, is a labor relations professor and privatization expert at the University of Michigan.
Michigan State Representative, 37th House District
State Representative Vicki Barnett is serving her second term in the Michigan House. She represents the 37th House District, which includes the cities of Farmington and Farmington Hills.
Before coming to the House, Barnett served on the Farmington Hills City Council from 1995 to 2003 and as Mayor of Farmington Hills from 2003 to 2007. As mayor, Barnett worked with state and federal officials to improve police, fire and emergency communications and crafted legislation to encourage economic redevelopment in metropolitan areas.
Barnett is a graduate of the University of Michigan-Dearborn, receiving her master’s in business administration in 1991. A former investment consultant, Barnett also served as the president of the Michigan Municipal League, chair of the Data Advisory Council for the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments, and as a board member of the National League of Cities.
Barnett and her husband, Mark, live in Farmington Hills. They have two grown children, Samantha and Jordan.
Member, Devaney Jacob Wilson, PLLC
Dennis is a former Board Member of the National Labor Relations Board and Commissioner of the U.S.International Trade Commission. He served as a presidential appointee under four U.S. presidents. His labor and employment practice focuses on traditional labor law, including representation of clients with respect to matters arising under the National Labor Relations Act. He also represents employers in defense of discrimination claims and with respect to collective bargaining agreement negotiation and administration. He counsels employers on all FMLA, ADA, FLSA, ELCRA and other state and federal employment laws, assists in formulating personnel policies, and with respect to litigation before courts, administrative agencies and arbitration tribunals.
Dennis also counsels clients on international trade issues. In 2001, as a Commissioner of the U.S. International Trade Commission, Dennis participated in perhaps the most significant “Section 201” safeguards case ever brought before the Commission. He has also been involved in anti-dumping and countervailing duty proceedings, as well as with respect to U.S. unfair trade cases. Dennis was actively involved in many of the significant international trade initiatives of the last several decades, including creation of the World Trade Organization (WTO), the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA), bilateral free trade agreements, U.S.-Japan trade relations, and WTO Accession and economic sanctions reform. Dennis also provides advice to employers with respect to executive branch trade issues and before the U.S. Congress.
Dennis is a graduate of Georgetown University Law Center and holds undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Maryland. He has served as a visiting professor at several prestigious law schools. Dennis has practiced law for 33 years, 21 of which were in private practice in Washington D.C. and the Detroit area.
Senior Research Associate, National Institute for Labor Relations Research
Stan Greer serves as senior research associate for the National Institute for Labor Relations Research. Mr. Greer holds a bachelor’s degree (1983) from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., and a master’s degree (1986) from the University of Pittsburgh.
Member, Kienbaum Opperwall Hardy & Pelton, PLC
Mr. Pelton is a founding member of the firm, and serves as its managing member. He has represented employers in litigation and concerning traditional labor matters for 25 years. He has tried, arbitrated, and mediated cases throughout the country. He has also enjoyed representing clients on election law issues and previously served on the Michigan Board of State Canvassers. Mr. Pelton is currently a member of the Michigan Board of Law Examiners having been appointed by the Governor on nomination by the Michigan Supreme Court.
Mr. Pelton has been identified by Chambers USA as a leader in the employment field in Michigan. He is also listed in The Best Lawyers in America in the employment and labor field.
At Syracuse University College of Law, Mr. Pelton served as an Executive Editor of the Law Review. He has conducted many workshops and client seminars on employment and labor law topics, has lectured on wage and hour issues for the prestigious National Employment Law Institute, and has served as an adjunct faculty member at Wayne State University Law School. He is a contributing author of Employment Law in Michigan: An Employer's Guide and State of the Law in Michigan: Employment and Labor Law, both published by the Institute of Continuing Legal Education. Mr. Pelton served as a Commissioner of the State Bar of Michigan, appointed by the Michigan Supreme Court, and serves on the Federalist Society's Labor and Employment Practice Group National Executive Committee.
Michigan State Representative, 65th House District
State Rep. Mike Shirkey was first elected to the Michigan House in November 2010. He represents the 65th District, which includes Springport, Tompkins, Rives, Blackman, Henrietta, Leoni, Waterloo, Grass Lake, Norvell, Columbia and Liberty townships in Jackson County. The district also includes Cambridge Township in Lenawee County and the City of Eaton Rapids along with Hamlin and Brookfield townships in Eaton County.
Shirkey earned a bachelor's degree from General Motors Institute (GMI) in 1978, and a master of science in mechanical engineering from the University of Wisconsin at Madison in 1979.
Mike is the founder and owner of Orbitform, a leading engineering company that manufactures forming, fastening, joining and assembly equipment for a wide range of industries and applications. The company provides world-class prototype engineering services for assembly of parts and specialized forming and fastening. Mike also worked for General Motors in various management and engineering roles for 13 years.
Mike served on the Columbia Central School Board in the 1980s and '90s. Shirkey also is the past board chair of Allegiance Health System and is a current board member.
Asstant Research Scientist, Institute for Research on Labor, Emp, and the Economy
Roland Zullo, PhD, is a labor relations professor and privatization expert at the University of Michigan.
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.
Panel 2: Midwestern State Court Round Up
2025 Midwestern Chapters Conference
Detroit, MIRight to Work: Right or Wrong for Michigan?
Vicki Barnett, Dennis Devaney, Stanley Greer, Eric J. Pelton, Mike Shirkey, Roland Zullo
The Michigan Lawyers Chapter hosted this panel on March 1, 2012, at Wayne State University Law School...
Right to Work: Right or Wrong for Michigan?
Vicki Barnett, Dennis Devaney, Stanley Greer, Eric J. Pelton, Mike Shirkey, Roland Zullo
The Michigan Lawyers Chapter hosted this panel on March 1, 2012, at Wayne State University Law School...
Right to Work: Right or Wrong for Michigan?
Michigan Lawyers Chapter
Detroit, MIMichigan Supreme Court Upholds Voter Photo ID Law
Publius
On July 18, 2007, the Michigan Supreme Court upheld a provision of Michigan election law...
Administrative Law Group Members Participate in Forum on State Regulatory Policy
Scott Pattison
The Federalist Society's Administrative Law Practice Group participated in the State Policy Network's Seventh Annual...