Associate Justice, Arkansas Supreme Court
Nicholas Bronni was appointed to the Arkansas Supreme Court by Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders on December 20, 2024, and he began his service on January 1, 2025.
Before being appointed to the bench, Justice Bronni served as the Solicitor General of Arkansas. In that role, he successfully argued two cases in the United States Supreme Court: Delaware v. Pennsylvania, 598 U.S. 115 (2023), an original jurisdiction case concerning unclaimed property; and Rutledge v. PCMA, 592 U.S. 80 (2020), an ERISA preemption case. Justice Bronni also successfully argued numerous cases before federal and state appellate courts, including Arkansas Times v. Waldrip, 37 F.4th 1386 (8th Cir. 2022) (en banc), which upheld Arkansas's law barring state contractors from boycotting Israel; and Arkansas State Conf. NAACP v. Arkansas Bd. of Apportionment, 86 F.4th 1204 (8th Cir. 2023), a landmark case holding that Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act is not privately enforceable. As Solicitor General, Justice Bronni received the National Association of Attorneys General's 2024 Best Supreme Court Brief Award for his multistate amicus brief in Muldrow v. City of St. Louis, Missouri, 601 U.S. 346 (2024).
Justice Bronni received his law degree with magna cum laude honors from the University of Michigan Law School. At Michigan, he was an editor of the Michigan Law Review and was elected to the Order of the Coif. He received his undergraduate degree, summa cum laude, and with special departmental honors from the Elliott School of International Affairs at the George Washington University.
Prior to returning home to Arkansas, Justice Bronni was a Senior Litigation Counsel with the Appellate Litigation Group at the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. He was also an associate with Gibson Dunn and Crutcher LLP in Washington, DC. Justice Bronni clerked for the Honorable Jay S. Bybee of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
Solicitor General, Arkansas
Autumn Hamit Patterson is currently the Solicitor General of Arkansas.
Autumn’s previous experience includes serving as a Special Assistant Solicitor General for the Office of the Louisiana Attorney General, a Senior Attorney at the Texas Public Policy Foundation, an Issues and Appeals Associate at Jones Day, and a Solicitor General Fellow for the Office of the Texas Attorney General. Autumn also clerked for Justice Eva Guzman on the Supreme Court of Texas and Judge Andrew Oldham on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. In 2021 and 2022, Autumn was named one of “Best Lawyers in America: Ones to Watch” for appellate practice.
Autumn earned her J.D. from Duke University School of Law, where she graduated magna cum laude. While in law school, she served as co-president of the Federalist Society. Autumn graduated summa cum laude from Furman University, where she received a B.A. in History and Political Science.
Judge, United States District Court, Eastern District of Arkansas
Lee Philip Rudofsky is a judge on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas. Prior to his 2019 appointment by President Trump, Judge Rudofsky served as the Solicitor General of Arkansas, an Assistant General Counsel at Walmart, a Senior Litigation Associate at Kirkland & Ellis, and counsel to several Republican political campaigns. Today, in addition to his judicial service, Judge Rudofsky teaches law school classes on founding-era constitutional history and, separately, speaks to students across the country about the October 7th Massacre and the subsequent Israeli response. In 2024, Judge Rudofsky helped establish an annual judicial education mission to Israel that offers American judges the opportunity to learn first-hand about the Israeli legal system, Israeli society, and legal issues related to the Israel-Hamas war.
Associate Justice, Arkansas Supreme Court
Justice Wood is in her 16th year on the bench. She has been on the Supreme Court since 2015. Prior to that, she served 2 years on the Court of Appeals and 6 years on the trial court. She was appointed by then Gov. Mike Huckabee and subsequently elected to the trial, intermediate and Supreme Courts of Arkansas.
Associate Justice, Arkansas Supreme Court
Nicholas Bronni was appointed to the Arkansas Supreme Court by Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders on December 20, 2024, and he began his service on January 1, 2025.
Before being appointed to the bench, Justice Bronni served as the Solicitor General of Arkansas. In that role, he successfully argued two cases in the United States Supreme Court: Delaware v. Pennsylvania, 598 U.S. 115 (2023), an original jurisdiction case concerning unclaimed property; and Rutledge v. PCMA, 592 U.S. 80 (2020), an ERISA preemption case. Justice Bronni also successfully argued numerous cases before federal and state appellate courts, including Arkansas Times v. Waldrip, 37 F.4th 1386 (8th Cir. 2022) (en banc), which upheld Arkansas's law barring state contractors from boycotting Israel; and Arkansas State Conf. NAACP v. Arkansas Bd. of Apportionment, 86 F.4th 1204 (8th Cir. 2023), a landmark case holding that Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act is not privately enforceable. As Solicitor General, Justice Bronni received the National Association of Attorneys General's 2024 Best Supreme Court Brief Award for his multistate amicus brief in Muldrow v. City of St. Louis, Missouri, 601 U.S. 346 (2024).
Justice Bronni received his law degree with magna cum laude honors from the University of Michigan Law School. At Michigan, he was an editor of the Michigan Law Review and was elected to the Order of the Coif. He received his undergraduate degree, summa cum laude, and with special departmental honors from the Elliott School of International Affairs at the George Washington University.
Prior to returning home to Arkansas, Justice Bronni was a Senior Litigation Counsel with the Appellate Litigation Group at the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. He was also an associate with Gibson Dunn and Crutcher LLP in Washington, DC. Justice Bronni clerked for the Honorable Jay S. Bybee of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
Judge, United States District Court, District of Nebraska
Brian C. Buescher is a judge on the United States District Court for the District of Nebraska. He was nominated to the court by President Donald Trump on November 13, 2018, and confirmed by the United States Senate on July 24, 2019. He received commission on August 6, 2019.
Justice, Texas Fifteenth District Court of Appeals
April Farris was appointed to the Fifteenth Court of Appeals on September 1 of 2024. April previously served on the First Court of Appeals after being appointed in 2021 and elected in 2022.
Before joining the Court, April was a partner at Yetter Coleman LLP, where she handled complex appellate litigation for energy, technology, and government clients. While in private practice, she was recognized in appellate law by Law360, Best Lawyers in America, and Thompson Reuters' Super Lawyers. In 2020, she was one of five attorneys in the nation to be named a Law360 appellate Rising Star, an honor reserved for lawyers under 40.
April previously served as an Assistant Solicitor General for the State of Texas, handling appeals for various Texas agencies. She is a former councilmember for the Texas State Bar's Appellate Section and a current councilmember for the Civil Rights & Civil Liberties Section. She serves as a trustee for the Texas Supreme Court Historical Association, and she is on the board of the Garland R. Walker Inn of Court in Houston. She is a member of the State Bar of Texas Pattern Jury Charge Oversight Committee, and she is on the editorial board of The Advocate. In 2022 and 2023, she was a guest instructor for Harvard Law School's Introduction to Trial Advocacy Program. She taught Origins of the Federal Constitution with Judge Charles Eskridge at the University of Texas School of Law in 2025, and she previously taught First Amendment at South Texas College of Law.
April clerked for Judge Jennifer Walker Elrod on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. She graduated from Harvard Law School cum laude in 2009, and she earned her bachelor's degree summa cum laude from Abilene Christian University in 2006. She was named ACU's Young Alumnus of the Year for 2025. She enjoys spending time with her husband and children, tennis, and theology.
Judge, United States Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit
Judge Readler earned his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Michigan. After graduating, he served as a law clerk to Judge Alan Norris of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. Judge Readler then began practicing law in the Columbus office of the international law firm Jones Day, eventually spending ten years as a partner in the firm’s Issues and Appeals Practice Group. While at Jones Day, Judge Readler appeared in state and federal trial and appellate courts around the country, most frequently the Supreme Court of Ohio and the Sixth Circuit. Judge Readler also successfully argued before the United States Supreme Court in McQuiggin v. Perkins on behalf of an inmate claiming actual innocence. His other pro bono representations include representing capital defendants before the Tenth Circuit and the Supreme Court of Ohio, as well as representing defendants sentenced to life in prison before the Sixth Circuit. While at Jones Day, Judge Readler traveled to Nairobi with Lawyers Without Borders to train Kenyan lawyers in prosecuting domestic violence cases, and he was also a recipient of the American Marshall Memorial Fellowship awarded by the German Marshall Fund of the United States. Following his career in private practice, Judge Readler served as Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Division of the United States Department of Justice from 2017 to 2019. In that role, Judge Readler led and supervised over 1,000 lawyers in the Department’s largest litigating division, briefing and arguing several cases on behalf of the United States in federal courts across the country, including high-profile cases significant to the Administration and the Department. In March 2019, Judge Readler was confirmed to serve as a Circuit Judge on the Sixth Circuit. He resides in Columbus.
Associate Justice, Arkansas Supreme Court
Nicholas Bronni was appointed to the Arkansas Supreme Court by Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders on December 20, 2024, and he began his service on January 1, 2025.
Before being appointed to the bench, Justice Bronni served as the Solicitor General of Arkansas. In that role, he successfully argued two cases in the United States Supreme Court: Delaware v. Pennsylvania, 598 U.S. 115 (2023), an original jurisdiction case concerning unclaimed property; and Rutledge v. PCMA, 592 U.S. 80 (2020), an ERISA preemption case. Justice Bronni also successfully argued numerous cases before federal and state appellate courts, including Arkansas Times v. Waldrip, 37 F.4th 1386 (8th Cir. 2022) (en banc), which upheld Arkansas's law barring state contractors from boycotting Israel; and Arkansas State Conf. NAACP v. Arkansas Bd. of Apportionment, 86 F.4th 1204 (8th Cir. 2023), a landmark case holding that Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act is not privately enforceable. As Solicitor General, Justice Bronni received the National Association of Attorneys General's 2024 Best Supreme Court Brief Award for his multistate amicus brief in Muldrow v. City of St. Louis, Missouri, 601 U.S. 346 (2024).
Justice Bronni received his law degree with magna cum laude honors from the University of Michigan Law School. At Michigan, he was an editor of the Michigan Law Review and was elected to the Order of the Coif. He received his undergraduate degree, summa cum laude, and with special departmental honors from the Elliott School of International Affairs at the George Washington University.
Prior to returning home to Arkansas, Justice Bronni was a Senior Litigation Counsel with the Appellate Litigation Group at the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. He was also an associate with Gibson Dunn and Crutcher LLP in Washington, DC. Justice Bronni clerked for the Honorable Jay S. Bybee of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
Associate Justice, Arkansas Supreme Court
Nicholas Bronni was appointed to the Arkansas Supreme Court by Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders on December 20, 2024, and he began his service on January 1, 2025.
Before being appointed to the bench, Justice Bronni served as the Solicitor General of Arkansas. In that role, he successfully argued two cases in the United States Supreme Court: Delaware v. Pennsylvania, 598 U.S. 115 (2023), an original jurisdiction case concerning unclaimed property; and Rutledge v. PCMA, 592 U.S. 80 (2020), an ERISA preemption case. Justice Bronni also successfully argued numerous cases before federal and state appellate courts, including Arkansas Times v. Waldrip, 37 F.4th 1386 (8th Cir. 2022) (en banc), which upheld Arkansas's law barring state contractors from boycotting Israel; and Arkansas State Conf. NAACP v. Arkansas Bd. of Apportionment, 86 F.4th 1204 (8th Cir. 2023), a landmark case holding that Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act is not privately enforceable. As Solicitor General, Justice Bronni received the National Association of Attorneys General's 2024 Best Supreme Court Brief Award for his multistate amicus brief in Muldrow v. City of St. Louis, Missouri, 601 U.S. 346 (2024).
Justice Bronni received his law degree with magna cum laude honors from the University of Michigan Law School. At Michigan, he was an editor of the Michigan Law Review and was elected to the Order of the Coif. He received his undergraduate degree, summa cum laude, and with special departmental honors from the Elliott School of International Affairs at the George Washington University.
Prior to returning home to Arkansas, Justice Bronni was a Senior Litigation Counsel with the Appellate Litigation Group at the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. He was also an associate with Gibson Dunn and Crutcher LLP in Washington, DC. Justice Bronni clerked for the Honorable Jay S. Bybee of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
Associate Justice, Arkansas Supreme Court
Nicholas Bronni was appointed to the Arkansas Supreme Court by Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders on December 20, 2024, and he began his service on January 1, 2025.
Before being appointed to the bench, Justice Bronni served as the Solicitor General of Arkansas. In that role, he successfully argued two cases in the United States Supreme Court: Delaware v. Pennsylvania, 598 U.S. 115 (2023), an original jurisdiction case concerning unclaimed property; and Rutledge v. PCMA, 592 U.S. 80 (2020), an ERISA preemption case. Justice Bronni also successfully argued numerous cases before federal and state appellate courts, including Arkansas Times v. Waldrip, 37 F.4th 1386 (8th Cir. 2022) (en banc), which upheld Arkansas's law barring state contractors from boycotting Israel; and Arkansas State Conf. NAACP v. Arkansas Bd. of Apportionment, 86 F.4th 1204 (8th Cir. 2023), a landmark case holding that Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act is not privately enforceable. As Solicitor General, Justice Bronni received the National Association of Attorneys General's 2024 Best Supreme Court Brief Award for his multistate amicus brief in Muldrow v. City of St. Louis, Missouri, 601 U.S. 346 (2024).
Justice Bronni received his law degree with magna cum laude honors from the University of Michigan Law School. At Michigan, he was an editor of the Michigan Law Review and was elected to the Order of the Coif. He received his undergraduate degree, summa cum laude, and with special departmental honors from the Elliott School of International Affairs at the George Washington University.
Prior to returning home to Arkansas, Justice Bronni was a Senior Litigation Counsel with the Appellate Litigation Group at the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. He was also an associate with Gibson Dunn and Crutcher LLP in Washington, DC. Justice Bronni clerked for the Honorable Jay S. Bybee of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
Partner, Lehotsky Keller LLP
The New York Times recognized Scott A. Keller as a “legal heavyweight,” who “is praised by opponents as a formidable advocate.”
Mr. Keller has argued 12 cases before the U.S. Supreme Court and 12 cases before the Texas Supreme Court. He is the only practicing lawyer to have argued at least 10 cases in both courts. Mr. Keller frequently represents parties in high stakes appeals, and he has argued many cases in federal courts of appeals throughout the nation. He has earned individual accolades from Lawdragon 500 Leading Litigators in America, Chambers, Legal 500, The American Lawyer, The National Law Journal, Law360, Super Lawyers, The Best Lawyers in America, and other publications.
Before founding Lehotsky Keller Cohn LLP, Mr. Keller headed Baker Botts LLP’s Supreme Court Practice. He also has significant experience at the highest levels in all three branches of government. Mr. Keller served as the Solicitor General of Texas, the State’s chief appellate litigator. He was U.S. Senator Ted Cruz’s chief counsel on the Senate Judiciary Committee. Mr. Keller was a law clerk for Justice Anthony Kennedy of the Supreme Court of the United States and Chief Judge Alex Kozinski of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. He was also a Bristow Fellow in the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of the Solicitor General.
Mr. Keller represents clients in cases where public communications strategy is crucial, and he has made numerous media appearances in major outlets such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, BBC, Fox News, NPR, and Politico. As a sought after speaker and writer, Mr. Keller’s articles have appeared in the Stanford Law Review, Virginia Law Review, and Texas Law Review. He has also served as an adjunct professor of constitutional litigation, Supreme Court practice, and federal courts at the University of Texas School of Law.
Commissioner, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
Lindsay S. See joined the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission as a Commissioner in June 2024. Before her current role, Commissioner See served as the Solicitor General of West Virginia, where she managed appellate and high-stakes litigation for the State. With a particular focus on energy and administrative law, her work included leading multi-state and multi-interest coalitions on a variety of national issues. She argued twice before the U.S. Supreme Court, filed multi-state comments in dozens of agency rulemakings, and routinely appeared before the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia and the federal courts of appeals.
Commissioner See previously practiced appellate and administrative law for several years with Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher in Washington, D.C. She graduated magna cum laude from Harvard Law School and clerked for the Hon. Thomas B. Griffith on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. Originally from Michigan, See now considers herself both a proud Michigander and Mountaineer.
Associate Justice, Arkansas Supreme Court
Justice Wood is in her 16th year on the bench. She has been on the Supreme Court since 2015. Prior to that, she served 2 years on the Court of Appeals and 6 years on the trial court. She was appointed by then Gov. Mike Huckabee and subsequently elected to the trial, intermediate and Supreme Courts of Arkansas.
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: Originalism in its Natural State
2025 Arkansas Chapters Conference
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2024 Arkansas Chapters Conference
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Little Rock, ARMid-Term Review of the Supreme Court's Current Term
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Publius
In an effort to increase dialogue about state court jurisprudence, the Federalist Society presents State...
State Court Docket Watch: 2020 Edition
In an effort to increase dialogue about state court jurisprudence, the Federalist Society presents State...