UC Foundation Assistant Professor, U.T. Chattanooga
Judge, United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee
On December 23, 2020, Katherine A. Crytzer was sworn in as a United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Tennessee following confirmation by the United States Senate. Judge Crytzer sits in Knoxville, Tennessee. Prior to her confirmation, Judge Crytzer served as Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General at the Department of Justice’s Office of Legal Policy in Washington, D.C., where she provided legal and policy advice to the Assistant Attorney General and Department of Justice Leadership. Before joining the Department of Justice’s Main Office, Judge Crytzer served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Kentucky. In advance of entering public service, Judge Crytzer was a litigator at Kirkland & Ellis LLP. She began her legal career as a law clerk to The Honorable Raymond W. Gruender on the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. Judge Crytzer earned her Juris Doctor, magna cum laude, from George Mason University’s Antonin Scalia School of Law and her Bachelor of Science, summa cum laude, from Middle Tennessee State University.
Paul J. Schierl Professor of Law, University of Notre Dame Law School
Professor Richard W. Garnett teaches and writes in the areas of constitutional law, criminal law, the First Amendment, and law and religion. He is a leading authority on questions and debates regarding religious freedom and church-state relations, and is the founding director of Notre Dame Law School’s Program on Church, State, and Society.
Garnett clerked for the late Chief Justice of the United States, William H. Rehnquist, and also for the late Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, Richard S. Arnold. He earned his J.D. from Yale Law School in 1995 and his B.A., summa cum laude, from Duke University in 1990. He joined the faculty in 1999 after practicing law in Washington, D.C. with Miller, Cassidy, Larroca & Lewin.
Shareholder, Spears, Moore, Rebman & Williams, PC
Alan Jackson practices in a variety of areas in state and federal courts. Prior to joining Spears, Moore, Rebman & Williams, P.C. in 2013, he served for two years as law clerk for the Honorable Walter E. Johnson of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia.
Vice President and Senior Counsel, The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty
Lori Windham is vice president and senior counsel at Becket, where she has represented clients on cutting-edge religious freedom issues since 2005. She has represented parties before the Supreme Court, arguing Becket’s unanimous victory on behalf of foster families in Fulton v. Philadelphia, as well as working with the Becket team on its Supreme Court victories in Hosanna-Tabor, Hobby Lobby, and Little Sisters of the Poor. She won a victory for the world’s largest religious media network in EWTN v. Azar, staving off millions of dollars in government fines under unlawful the HHS mandate. She has won more than a dozen victories in federal appellate courts, including successful defense of cities and school districts sued for accommodating religion, victories for houses of worship facing discrimination in the land use process, and overturning a multimillion-dollar judgment against a major evangelical ministry. She recently won a first-in-the-nation injunction for an adoption agency threatened with shutdown for its religious beliefs.
Recognized in Washington as an expert on religious freedom issues, Lori has testified in Congressional oversight hearings before the U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee and before the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. Outside Washington, Lori is sought-after speaker on First Amendment law, including appearances at Yale Law School, Harvard Law School, Stanford Law School, Georgetown University Law Center, Central European University, and many others.
In addition to these venues, Lori also defends her clients in the media, including television appearances on CBS This Morning, Hardball, CNN Tonight, On the Record, America’s Newsroom, Opinion Journal, and many others. Her work has been covered by the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, and dozens of other papers. She is also a regular guest on radio, with appearances on shows ranging from Sean Hannity to NPR.
Lori has successfully represented a wide array of clients, including a Santeria priest prohibited from making animal sacrifices, synagogues prohibited from building on their own land, and religious student organizations penalized for their religious speech. One of her most challenging cases involved travel to a remote farming community to ensure that members of the local Amish community were not jailed for using their traditional building methods.
Lori is a graduate of Harvard Law School and earned her B.A. summa cum laude at Abilene Christian University. She has served on the Board of Visitors of Abilene Christian University and received the ACU Young Alumnus of the Year award for her work at Becket. She sits on the board of Dominion Christian School and the visiting committee of the Fund for American Studies’ Summer Law Fellowship.
Partner, Wigdor LLP
David E. Gottlieb is a Partner at Wigdor LLP. Mr. Gottlieb is a leading employment rights attorney and a zealous advocate for employees who have been subjected to harassment, discrimination, retaliation wage and hour violations and other forms of unlawful workplace misconduct. Mr. Gottlieb has successfully represented thousands of plaintiffs in individual, multi-plaintiff, collective and class action litigation before a wide array of federal and state trial and appellate courts, administrative agencies, and arbitral forums.
Shareholder, Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart
Chris Murray is Co-Chair of the firm’s Arbitration and Alternative Dispute Resolution Practice Group. In this role, he assists attorneys throughout the firm and clients nationwide to create, roll out, and enforce effective employment arbitration agreements and other ADR programs. Mr. Murray has extensive experience with class/collective action waivers in employment arbitration. Mr. Murray was part of the Ogletree team that successfully defended the use of such waivers in the Fifth Circuit’s landmark decision in D.R. Horton, Inc. v. N.L.R.B. Since then, he has successfully defended the enforceability of class action waivers in numerous subsequent cases and submitted an amicus brief on the subject on behalf of several major employers’ associations in the Supreme Court’s Murphy Oil case. Mr. Murray assists clients and the Firm’s attorneys to draft or revise arbitration programs focused on a client’s specific needs and goals and in light of changing law and evolving best practices.
President & CEO, International Institute for Conflict Prevention and Resolution (CPR).
Allen Waxman is the President & CEO of the International Institute for Conflict Prevention and Resolution (CPR). He has an extensive career as a partner in law firms and as a general counsel and business executive in the life sciences industry, and is a committed advocate of finding innovative ways to avoid disputes and resolve them effectively and efficiently where they arise.
Prior to joining CPR, Mr. Waxman served as General Counsel of Pfizer, at Eisai Inc - the North American affiliate of the Japanese-based pharmaceutical company, Eisai Co Ltd - where he also led the Market Access business unit, and at Roivant Sciences, a start-up building biotech and healthcare technology companies.
He also practiced law as a partner at Williams & Connolly, in Washington, D.C., where he tried criminal and civil cases. Later in his career, he joined Kaye Scholer LLP (now Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer) in New York as a partner. He led the firm’s multidisciplinary Life Sciences Group, while also developing and executing on resolution strategies for clients.
Mr. Waxman has also served on the board of a variety of professional and social justice organizations, including as the Chairman of the Bioethics Committee of the board of BIO, and as Chairman of the Boards of Equal Justice Works, the Thurgood Marshall Academy Public Charter High School in Washington, D.C., and Day One in New York City. He currently serves on the board of Rising Ground, a human services organization dedicated to helping children, adults and families in need in the greater New York City area, as well as on the Leadership Council of Convergence, a national not-for-profit dedicated to convening people of divergent views and forming alliances for action on critical national issues. Earlier in his career, he also was an adjunct Professor of Law at Georgetown University Law Center.
Mr. Waxman began his career as a law clerk to the late, Honorable Thomas Penfield Jackson of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, after receiving his J.D. from the Harvard Law School and his A.B. from Dartmouth College.
Professor, University of Denver, Sturm College of Law
Newsweek Senior Editor-at-Large, Syndicated Columnist, Host of "The Josh Hammer Show," Article III Project Senior Counsel, Newsweek, Salem Media, Article III Project, David Horowitz Freedom Center
Josh Hammer is the senior editor-at-large of Newsweek and host of "The Josh Hammer Show," a podcast, a syndicated radio show, and TV program on Salem News Channel. A syndicated columnist through Creators Syndicate, Josh is a frequent pundit and essayist on political, legal, and cultural issues. He is also senior counsel for the Article III Project and Internet Accountability Project, as well as a Shillman Fellow with the David Horowitz Freedom Center and a fellow with the Palm Beach Freedom Institute.
An outspoken conservative, Josh opines on conservative intellectual trends, contemporary domestic and foreign policy debates, constitutional and legal issues, and the intersection of law, politics and culture. He has been published by many leading outlets, including the Los Angeles Times, the New York Post, Daily Mail, Newsweek, the Claremont Review of Books, National Affairs, American Affairs, The New Criterion, The National Interest, National Review, RealClearPolitics, First Things, City Journal, Public Discourse, Law & Liberty, Tablet Magazine, Deseret Magazine, Compact Magazine, Chronicles Magazine, The Spectator, The American Mind, The American Conservative, The European Conservative, American Greatness, American Compass, The Federalist, Blaze Media, TomKlingenstein.com, Townhall, The Daily Wire, The Daily Signal, The Daily Caller, The Epoch Times, Anchoring Truths, Fortune, Fox Business, The Jerusalem Post, The Times of Israel, The Forward, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and the Jewish Journal. He has also had legal scholarship published by the Harvard Journal of Law & Public Policy and the University of St. Thomas Law Journal.
Josh is a college campus speaker through Young America's Foundation and the Intercollegiate Studies Institute, and a law school campus speaker through the Federalist Society. Prior to Newsweek and The Daily Wire, where he was an editor, Josh worked at Kirkland & Ellis LLP and clerked for the Hon. James C. Ho on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Josh has also served as a John Marshall Fellow with the Claremont Institute and as a Fellow with the James Wilson Institute. He is the former host of "America on Trial with Josh Hammer," a one-season daily podcast with The First that covered the unique legal issues surrounding the 2024 presidential election.
Josh graduated from Duke University, where he majored in economics, and from the University of Chicago Law School. He lives in Florida, but remains an active member of the State Bar of Texas.
Attorney, Allen Harris Law
Samantha Harris is a nationally recognized attorney advising students and faculty on issues of campus due process, Title IX, free speech, and academic freedom. Drawing on more than 15 years at the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE), where she served as Vice President for Policy Research, she guides students, faculty, administrators, and attorneys through complex disciplinary and constitutional issues involving free speech, fair hearings, and faculty-student rights.
A graduate of Princeton University and the University of Pennsylvania Law School (Articles Editor, Journal of Constitutional Law), Samantha clerked for the Hon. Jay C. Waldman in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and began her legal career at Pepper Hamilton LLP. At FIRE, she led efforts to reform campus policies and defended individuals in high-profile Title IX and free speech disputes.
Now at Allen Harris PLLC, a firm focused on Title IX and campus defense, Samantha represents students and professors in investigations, hearings, appeals, and related litigation. Samantha’s practice emphasizes strategic advocacy in campus disciplinary systems and litigation-ready defense in federal court. Her blend of policy experience, legal skill, and media visibility positions her as a leading resource for issues at the intersection of education law and constitutional rights.
General Counsel, Mountain States Legal Foundation
William E. Trachman is General Counsel for Mountain States Legal Foundation, where he protects the rights of individuals to live freely and securely under the U.S. Constitution. Previously, he was appointed to serve in the Department of Education as Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Office for Civil Rights. Prior to his appointment, he served as General Counsel to the Douglas County School District, where he helped litigate the fight for school choice in the school district. Presently, Mr. Trachman serves as Chair of the Colorado Federalist Society and the Vice Chair of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights’ Colorado Advisory Board. He previously taught as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Denver, Sturm College of Law. He attended U.C. Berkeley for both undergraduate and law school, and then clerked for the Honorable Harris Hartz on the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals. Mr. Trachman is licensed in Colorado, California, and Washington, D.C.
Director, Digital Media, Communications and Fellow, R Street Institute
Shoshana Weissmann manages R Street’s social media, email marketing and other digital assets. She also works on occupational licensing reform, social media regulatory policy, Section 230 and other issues, and has written for various publications, including The Wall Street Journal and USA Today.
Shoshana most recently managed digital communications for Opportunity Lives, a group that highlighted positive stories and policy solutions. Before that, she managed social media and wrote for The Weekly Standard. Earlier in her career, she managed digital communications for the America Rising PAC, where her strategy was highlighted in a piece that appeared in The New York Times.
She is on the board of The Conservation Coalition and a member of the Federalist Society’s Regulatory Transparency Project’s state and local and emerging technology working groups.
She lives in Washington, D.C. and has a stuffed sloth named James Madisloth, and she enjoys the Snapchat hot dog.
Board Member, U.S. Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board
Beth A. Williams is a Board Member of the United States Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board, an agency whose mission is to ensure that the federal government's efforts to prevent terrorism are balanced with the need to protect privacy and civil liberties.
Prior to her Board service, Ms. Williams was the Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Policy at the United States Department of Justice from August 2017 to December 2020. In that role, she served as the primary policy advisor to the Attorney General and the Deputy Attorney General, and as the Chief Regulatory Officer for the Department. Ms. Williams also led the judicial nomination process for the Department, assisting in the selection and confirmation of more than 230 Article III judges to the bench.
Prior to becoming Assistant Attorney General, Ms. Williams was a litigation and appellate partner at a national law firm, where her practice focused on complex commercial, securities, appellate, and First Amendment litigation. From 2005-2006, Ms. Williams served as Special Counsel to the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary, where she assisted with the confirmation of Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr. and Associate Justice Samuel A. Alito, Jr. to the United States Supreme Court.
Ms. Williams clerked for the Hon. Richard C. Wesley on the United State Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. She graduated from Harvard College magna cum laude, with a degree in History and Literature, and she earned her law degree from Harvard Law School, where she served as Executive Editor of the Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy.
Shareholder, Littler Mendelson PC
Matthew J. Hank practices employment law, including issues arising under the common law and various statutes:
He particularly focuses on disputes concerning (1) wage and hour class actions (including cases involving independent contractor relationships, overtime claims, and payroll debit cards) and (2) noncompetition agreements and trade secrets.
Matthew served as a law clerk to the Hon. Daniel Manion of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit and the Hon. Paul V. Gadola of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. Before attending law school, he served for four years on active duty in the United States Army as an Armor officer.
Attorney, Allen Harris Law
Samantha Harris is a nationally recognized attorney advising students and faculty on issues of campus due process, Title IX, free speech, and academic freedom. Drawing on more than 15 years at the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE), where she served as Vice President for Policy Research, she guides students, faculty, administrators, and attorneys through complex disciplinary and constitutional issues involving free speech, fair hearings, and faculty-student rights.
A graduate of Princeton University and the University of Pennsylvania Law School (Articles Editor, Journal of Constitutional Law), Samantha clerked for the Hon. Jay C. Waldman in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and began her legal career at Pepper Hamilton LLP. At FIRE, she led efforts to reform campus policies and defended individuals in high-profile Title IX and free speech disputes.
Now at Allen Harris PLLC, a firm focused on Title IX and campus defense, Samantha represents students and professors in investigations, hearings, appeals, and related litigation. Samantha’s practice emphasizes strategic advocacy in campus disciplinary systems and litigation-ready defense in federal court. Her blend of policy experience, legal skill, and media visibility positions her as a leading resource for issues at the intersection of education law and constitutional rights.
Mr. Sokolow is the Chair of TNG (TNG, LLC), a national multidisciplinary risk management consulting and law firm with more than 3,000 education-sector clients, 35 executive and support employees, and a roster of 25 attorneys and consultants who are at the forefront of the field in their areas of expertise. He also serves as President of ATIXA, the Association of Title IX Administrators, the leading industry association for Title IX compliance, with over 3,600 active school and college members. Mr. Sokolow has been interviewed on CNN, and has been featured in Newsweek, TIME Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, ABC News, The Chronicle of Higher Education, USA Today, The Boston Globe, and many other media outlets. Mr. Sokolow is a graduate of the College of William and Mary and the Villanova School of Law.
Litigator, Schnader Harrison Segal & Lewis
Mr. Struwe is currently a litigator at Schnader Harrison Segal & Lewis. Previously, Mr. Struwe served as a Captain in the U.S. Army JAG Corps as a Special Victim Prosecutor, where he was responsible for prosecuting rape and sexual assault allegations. Mr. Struwe frequently writes on due process considerations in both military justice and Title IX proceedings.
Partner, Wigdor LLP
David E. Gottlieb is a Partner at Wigdor LLP. Mr. Gottlieb is a leading employment rights attorney and a zealous advocate for employees who have been subjected to harassment, discrimination, retaliation wage and hour violations and other forms of unlawful workplace misconduct. Mr. Gottlieb has successfully represented thousands of plaintiffs in individual, multi-plaintiff, collective and class action litigation before a wide array of federal and state trial and appellate courts, administrative agencies, and arbitral forums.
Shareholder, Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart
Chris Murray is Co-Chair of the firm’s Arbitration and Alternative Dispute Resolution Practice Group. In this role, he assists attorneys throughout the firm and clients nationwide to create, roll out, and enforce effective employment arbitration agreements and other ADR programs. Mr. Murray has extensive experience with class/collective action waivers in employment arbitration. Mr. Murray was part of the Ogletree team that successfully defended the use of such waivers in the Fifth Circuit’s landmark decision in D.R. Horton, Inc. v. N.L.R.B. Since then, he has successfully defended the enforceability of class action waivers in numerous subsequent cases and submitted an amicus brief on the subject on behalf of several major employers’ associations in the Supreme Court’s Murphy Oil case. Mr. Murray assists clients and the Firm’s attorneys to draft or revise arbitration programs focused on a client’s specific needs and goals and in light of changing law and evolving best practices.
President & CEO, International Institute for Conflict Prevention and Resolution (CPR).
Allen Waxman is the President & CEO of the International Institute for Conflict Prevention and Resolution (CPR). He has an extensive career as a partner in law firms and as a general counsel and business executive in the life sciences industry, and is a committed advocate of finding innovative ways to avoid disputes and resolve them effectively and efficiently where they arise.
Prior to joining CPR, Mr. Waxman served as General Counsel of Pfizer, at Eisai Inc - the North American affiliate of the Japanese-based pharmaceutical company, Eisai Co Ltd - where he also led the Market Access business unit, and at Roivant Sciences, a start-up building biotech and healthcare technology companies.
He also practiced law as a partner at Williams & Connolly, in Washington, D.C., where he tried criminal and civil cases. Later in his career, he joined Kaye Scholer LLP (now Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer) in New York as a partner. He led the firm’s multidisciplinary Life Sciences Group, while also developing and executing on resolution strategies for clients.
Mr. Waxman has also served on the board of a variety of professional and social justice organizations, including as the Chairman of the Bioethics Committee of the board of BIO, and as Chairman of the Boards of Equal Justice Works, the Thurgood Marshall Academy Public Charter High School in Washington, D.C., and Day One in New York City. He currently serves on the board of Rising Ground, a human services organization dedicated to helping children, adults and families in need in the greater New York City area, as well as on the Leadership Council of Convergence, a national not-for-profit dedicated to convening people of divergent views and forming alliances for action on critical national issues. Earlier in his career, he also was an adjunct Professor of Law at Georgetown University Law Center.
Mr. Waxman began his career as a law clerk to the late, Honorable Thomas Penfield Jackson of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, after receiving his J.D. from the Harvard Law School and his A.B. from Dartmouth College.
Newsweek Senior Editor-at-Large, Syndicated Columnist, Host of "The Josh Hammer Show," Article III Project Senior Counsel, Newsweek, Salem Media, Article III Project, David Horowitz Freedom Center
Josh Hammer is the senior editor-at-large of Newsweek and host of "The Josh Hammer Show," a podcast, a syndicated radio show, and TV program on Salem News Channel. A syndicated columnist through Creators Syndicate, Josh is a frequent pundit and essayist on political, legal, and cultural issues. He is also senior counsel for the Article III Project and Internet Accountability Project, as well as a Shillman Fellow with the David Horowitz Freedom Center and a fellow with the Palm Beach Freedom Institute.
An outspoken conservative, Josh opines on conservative intellectual trends, contemporary domestic and foreign policy debates, constitutional and legal issues, and the intersection of law, politics and culture. He has been published by many leading outlets, including the Los Angeles Times, the New York Post, Daily Mail, Newsweek, the Claremont Review of Books, National Affairs, American Affairs, The New Criterion, The National Interest, National Review, RealClearPolitics, First Things, City Journal, Public Discourse, Law & Liberty, Tablet Magazine, Deseret Magazine, Compact Magazine, Chronicles Magazine, The Spectator, The American Mind, The American Conservative, The European Conservative, American Greatness, American Compass, The Federalist, Blaze Media, TomKlingenstein.com, Townhall, The Daily Wire, The Daily Signal, The Daily Caller, The Epoch Times, Anchoring Truths, Fortune, Fox Business, The Jerusalem Post, The Times of Israel, The Forward, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and the Jewish Journal. He has also had legal scholarship published by the Harvard Journal of Law & Public Policy and the University of St. Thomas Law Journal.
Josh is a college campus speaker through Young America's Foundation and the Intercollegiate Studies Institute, and a law school campus speaker through the Federalist Society. Prior to Newsweek and The Daily Wire, where he was an editor, Josh worked at Kirkland & Ellis LLP and clerked for the Hon. James C. Ho on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Josh has also served as a John Marshall Fellow with the Claremont Institute and as a Fellow with the James Wilson Institute. He is the former host of "America on Trial with Josh Hammer," a one-season daily podcast with The First that covered the unique legal issues surrounding the 2024 presidential election.
Josh graduated from Duke University, where he majored in economics, and from the University of Chicago Law School. He lives in Florida, but remains an active member of the State Bar of Texas.
Attorney, Allen Harris Law
Samantha Harris is a nationally recognized attorney advising students and faculty on issues of campus due process, Title IX, free speech, and academic freedom. Drawing on more than 15 years at the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE), where she served as Vice President for Policy Research, she guides students, faculty, administrators, and attorneys through complex disciplinary and constitutional issues involving free speech, fair hearings, and faculty-student rights.
A graduate of Princeton University and the University of Pennsylvania Law School (Articles Editor, Journal of Constitutional Law), Samantha clerked for the Hon. Jay C. Waldman in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and began her legal career at Pepper Hamilton LLP. At FIRE, she led efforts to reform campus policies and defended individuals in high-profile Title IX and free speech disputes.
Now at Allen Harris PLLC, a firm focused on Title IX and campus defense, Samantha represents students and professors in investigations, hearings, appeals, and related litigation. Samantha’s practice emphasizes strategic advocacy in campus disciplinary systems and litigation-ready defense in federal court. Her blend of policy experience, legal skill, and media visibility positions her as a leading resource for issues at the intersection of education law and constitutional rights.
General Counsel, Mountain States Legal Foundation
William E. Trachman is General Counsel for Mountain States Legal Foundation, where he protects the rights of individuals to live freely and securely under the U.S. Constitution. Previously, he was appointed to serve in the Department of Education as Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Office for Civil Rights. Prior to his appointment, he served as General Counsel to the Douglas County School District, where he helped litigate the fight for school choice in the school district. Presently, Mr. Trachman serves as Chair of the Colorado Federalist Society and the Vice Chair of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights’ Colorado Advisory Board. He previously taught as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Denver, Sturm College of Law. He attended U.C. Berkeley for both undergraduate and law school, and then clerked for the Honorable Harris Hartz on the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals. Mr. Trachman is licensed in Colorado, California, and Washington, D.C.
Director, Digital Media, Communications and Fellow, R Street Institute
Shoshana Weissmann manages R Street’s social media, email marketing and other digital assets. She also works on occupational licensing reform, social media regulatory policy, Section 230 and other issues, and has written for various publications, including The Wall Street Journal and USA Today.
Shoshana most recently managed digital communications for Opportunity Lives, a group that highlighted positive stories and policy solutions. Before that, she managed social media and wrote for The Weekly Standard. Earlier in her career, she managed digital communications for the America Rising PAC, where her strategy was highlighted in a piece that appeared in The New York Times.
She is on the board of The Conservation Coalition and a member of the Federalist Society’s Regulatory Transparency Project’s state and local and emerging technology working groups.
She lives in Washington, D.C. and has a stuffed sloth named James Madisloth, and she enjoys the Snapchat hot dog.
Board Member, U.S. Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board
Beth A. Williams is a Board Member of the United States Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board, an agency whose mission is to ensure that the federal government's efforts to prevent terrorism are balanced with the need to protect privacy and civil liberties.
Prior to her Board service, Ms. Williams was the Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Policy at the United States Department of Justice from August 2017 to December 2020. In that role, she served as the primary policy advisor to the Attorney General and the Deputy Attorney General, and as the Chief Regulatory Officer for the Department. Ms. Williams also led the judicial nomination process for the Department, assisting in the selection and confirmation of more than 230 Article III judges to the bench.
Prior to becoming Assistant Attorney General, Ms. Williams was a litigation and appellate partner at a national law firm, where her practice focused on complex commercial, securities, appellate, and First Amendment litigation. From 2005-2006, Ms. Williams served as Special Counsel to the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary, where she assisted with the confirmation of Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr. and Associate Justice Samuel A. Alito, Jr. to the United States Supreme Court.
Ms. Williams clerked for the Hon. Richard C. Wesley on the United State Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. She graduated from Harvard College magna cum laude, with a degree in History and Literature, and she earned her law degree from Harvard Law School, where she served as Executive Editor of the Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy.
Professor, University of Denver, Sturm College of Law
Newsweek Senior Editor-at-Large, Syndicated Columnist, Host of "The Josh Hammer Show," Article III Project Senior Counsel, Newsweek, Salem Media, Article III Project, David Horowitz Freedom Center
Josh Hammer is the senior editor-at-large of Newsweek and host of "The Josh Hammer Show," a podcast, a syndicated radio show, and TV program on Salem News Channel. A syndicated columnist through Creators Syndicate, Josh is a frequent pundit and essayist on political, legal, and cultural issues. He is also senior counsel for the Article III Project and Internet Accountability Project, as well as a Shillman Fellow with the David Horowitz Freedom Center and a fellow with the Palm Beach Freedom Institute.
An outspoken conservative, Josh opines on conservative intellectual trends, contemporary domestic and foreign policy debates, constitutional and legal issues, and the intersection of law, politics and culture. He has been published by many leading outlets, including the Los Angeles Times, the New York Post, Daily Mail, Newsweek, the Claremont Review of Books, National Affairs, American Affairs, The New Criterion, The National Interest, National Review, RealClearPolitics, First Things, City Journal, Public Discourse, Law & Liberty, Tablet Magazine, Deseret Magazine, Compact Magazine, Chronicles Magazine, The Spectator, The American Mind, The American Conservative, The European Conservative, American Greatness, American Compass, The Federalist, Blaze Media, TomKlingenstein.com, Townhall, The Daily Wire, The Daily Signal, The Daily Caller, The Epoch Times, Anchoring Truths, Fortune, Fox Business, The Jerusalem Post, The Times of Israel, The Forward, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and the Jewish Journal. He has also had legal scholarship published by the Harvard Journal of Law & Public Policy and the University of St. Thomas Law Journal.
Josh is a college campus speaker through Young America's Foundation and the Intercollegiate Studies Institute, and a law school campus speaker through the Federalist Society. Prior to Newsweek and The Daily Wire, where he was an editor, Josh worked at Kirkland & Ellis LLP and clerked for the Hon. James C. Ho on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Josh has also served as a John Marshall Fellow with the Claremont Institute and as a Fellow with the James Wilson Institute. He is the former host of "America on Trial with Josh Hammer," a one-season daily podcast with The First that covered the unique legal issues surrounding the 2024 presidential election.
Josh graduated from Duke University, where he majored in economics, and from the University of Chicago Law School. He lives in Florida, but remains an active member of the State Bar of Texas.
Attorney, Allen Harris Law
Samantha Harris is a nationally recognized attorney advising students and faculty on issues of campus due process, Title IX, free speech, and academic freedom. Drawing on more than 15 years at the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE), where she served as Vice President for Policy Research, she guides students, faculty, administrators, and attorneys through complex disciplinary and constitutional issues involving free speech, fair hearings, and faculty-student rights.
A graduate of Princeton University and the University of Pennsylvania Law School (Articles Editor, Journal of Constitutional Law), Samantha clerked for the Hon. Jay C. Waldman in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and began her legal career at Pepper Hamilton LLP. At FIRE, she led efforts to reform campus policies and defended individuals in high-profile Title IX and free speech disputes.
Now at Allen Harris PLLC, a firm focused on Title IX and campus defense, Samantha represents students and professors in investigations, hearings, appeals, and related litigation. Samantha’s practice emphasizes strategic advocacy in campus disciplinary systems and litigation-ready defense in federal court. Her blend of policy experience, legal skill, and media visibility positions her as a leading resource for issues at the intersection of education law and constitutional rights.
General Counsel, Mountain States Legal Foundation
William E. Trachman is General Counsel for Mountain States Legal Foundation, where he protects the rights of individuals to live freely and securely under the U.S. Constitution. Previously, he was appointed to serve in the Department of Education as Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Office for Civil Rights. Prior to his appointment, he served as General Counsel to the Douglas County School District, where he helped litigate the fight for school choice in the school district. Presently, Mr. Trachman serves as Chair of the Colorado Federalist Society and the Vice Chair of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights’ Colorado Advisory Board. He previously taught as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Denver, Sturm College of Law. He attended U.C. Berkeley for both undergraduate and law school, and then clerked for the Honorable Harris Hartz on the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals. Mr. Trachman is licensed in Colorado, California, and Washington, D.C.
Director, Digital Media, Communications and Fellow, R Street Institute
Shoshana Weissmann manages R Street’s social media, email marketing and other digital assets. She also works on occupational licensing reform, social media regulatory policy, Section 230 and other issues, and has written for various publications, including The Wall Street Journal and USA Today.
Shoshana most recently managed digital communications for Opportunity Lives, a group that highlighted positive stories and policy solutions. Before that, she managed social media and wrote for The Weekly Standard. Earlier in her career, she managed digital communications for the America Rising PAC, where her strategy was highlighted in a piece that appeared in The New York Times.
She is on the board of The Conservation Coalition and a member of the Federalist Society’s Regulatory Transparency Project’s state and local and emerging technology working groups.
She lives in Washington, D.C. and has a stuffed sloth named James Madisloth, and she enjoys the Snapchat hot dog.
Board Member, U.S. Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board
Beth A. Williams is a Board Member of the United States Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board, an agency whose mission is to ensure that the federal government's efforts to prevent terrorism are balanced with the need to protect privacy and civil liberties.
Prior to her Board service, Ms. Williams was the Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Policy at the United States Department of Justice from August 2017 to December 2020. In that role, she served as the primary policy advisor to the Attorney General and the Deputy Attorney General, and as the Chief Regulatory Officer for the Department. Ms. Williams also led the judicial nomination process for the Department, assisting in the selection and confirmation of more than 230 Article III judges to the bench.
Prior to becoming Assistant Attorney General, Ms. Williams was a litigation and appellate partner at a national law firm, where her practice focused on complex commercial, securities, appellate, and First Amendment litigation. From 2005-2006, Ms. Williams served as Special Counsel to the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary, where she assisted with the confirmation of Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr. and Associate Justice Samuel A. Alito, Jr. to the United States Supreme Court.
Ms. Williams clerked for the Hon. Richard C. Wesley on the United State Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. She graduated from Harvard College magna cum laude, with a degree in History and Literature, and she earned her law degree from Harvard Law School, where she served as Executive Editor of the Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy.
Professor, University of Denver, Sturm College of Law
Shareholder, Littler Mendelson PC
Matthew J. Hank practices employment law, including issues arising under the common law and various statutes:
He particularly focuses on disputes concerning (1) wage and hour class actions (including cases involving independent contractor relationships, overtime claims, and payroll debit cards) and (2) noncompetition agreements and trade secrets.
Matthew served as a law clerk to the Hon. Daniel Manion of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit and the Hon. Paul V. Gadola of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. Before attending law school, he served for four years on active duty in the United States Army as an Armor officer.
Attorney, Allen Harris Law
Samantha Harris is a nationally recognized attorney advising students and faculty on issues of campus due process, Title IX, free speech, and academic freedom. Drawing on more than 15 years at the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE), where she served as Vice President for Policy Research, she guides students, faculty, administrators, and attorneys through complex disciplinary and constitutional issues involving free speech, fair hearings, and faculty-student rights.
A graduate of Princeton University and the University of Pennsylvania Law School (Articles Editor, Journal of Constitutional Law), Samantha clerked for the Hon. Jay C. Waldman in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and began her legal career at Pepper Hamilton LLP. At FIRE, she led efforts to reform campus policies and defended individuals in high-profile Title IX and free speech disputes.
Now at Allen Harris PLLC, a firm focused on Title IX and campus defense, Samantha represents students and professors in investigations, hearings, appeals, and related litigation. Samantha’s practice emphasizes strategic advocacy in campus disciplinary systems and litigation-ready defense in federal court. Her blend of policy experience, legal skill, and media visibility positions her as a leading resource for issues at the intersection of education law and constitutional rights.
Mr. Sokolow is the Chair of TNG (TNG, LLC), a national multidisciplinary risk management consulting and law firm with more than 3,000 education-sector clients, 35 executive and support employees, and a roster of 25 attorneys and consultants who are at the forefront of the field in their areas of expertise. He also serves as President of ATIXA, the Association of Title IX Administrators, the leading industry association for Title IX compliance, with over 3,600 active school and college members. Mr. Sokolow has been interviewed on CNN, and has been featured in Newsweek, TIME Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, ABC News, The Chronicle of Higher Education, USA Today, The Boston Globe, and many other media outlets. Mr. Sokolow is a graduate of the College of William and Mary and the Villanova School of Law.
Litigator, Schnader Harrison Segal & Lewis
Mr. Struwe is currently a litigator at Schnader Harrison Segal & Lewis. Previously, Mr. Struwe served as a Captain in the U.S. Army JAG Corps as a Special Victim Prosecutor, where he was responsible for prosecuting rape and sexual assault allegations. Mr. Struwe frequently writes on due process considerations in both military justice and Title IX proceedings.
Shareholder, Littler Mendelson PC
Matthew J. Hank practices employment law, including issues arising under the common law and various statutes:
He particularly focuses on disputes concerning (1) wage and hour class actions (including cases involving independent contractor relationships, overtime claims, and payroll debit cards) and (2) noncompetition agreements and trade secrets.
Matthew served as a law clerk to the Hon. Daniel Manion of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit and the Hon. Paul V. Gadola of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. Before attending law school, he served for four years on active duty in the United States Army as an Armor officer.
Attorney, Allen Harris Law
Samantha Harris is a nationally recognized attorney advising students and faculty on issues of campus due process, Title IX, free speech, and academic freedom. Drawing on more than 15 years at the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE), where she served as Vice President for Policy Research, she guides students, faculty, administrators, and attorneys through complex disciplinary and constitutional issues involving free speech, fair hearings, and faculty-student rights.
A graduate of Princeton University and the University of Pennsylvania Law School (Articles Editor, Journal of Constitutional Law), Samantha clerked for the Hon. Jay C. Waldman in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and began her legal career at Pepper Hamilton LLP. At FIRE, she led efforts to reform campus policies and defended individuals in high-profile Title IX and free speech disputes.
Now at Allen Harris PLLC, a firm focused on Title IX and campus defense, Samantha represents students and professors in investigations, hearings, appeals, and related litigation. Samantha’s practice emphasizes strategic advocacy in campus disciplinary systems and litigation-ready defense in federal court. Her blend of policy experience, legal skill, and media visibility positions her as a leading resource for issues at the intersection of education law and constitutional rights.
Mr. Sokolow is the Chair of TNG (TNG, LLC), a national multidisciplinary risk management consulting and law firm with more than 3,000 education-sector clients, 35 executive and support employees, and a roster of 25 attorneys and consultants who are at the forefront of the field in their areas of expertise. He also serves as President of ATIXA, the Association of Title IX Administrators, the leading industry association for Title IX compliance, with over 3,600 active school and college members. Mr. Sokolow has been interviewed on CNN, and has been featured in Newsweek, TIME Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, ABC News, The Chronicle of Higher Education, USA Today, The Boston Globe, and many other media outlets. Mr. Sokolow is a graduate of the College of William and Mary and the Villanova School of Law.
Litigator, Schnader Harrison Segal & Lewis
Mr. Struwe is currently a litigator at Schnader Harrison Segal & Lewis. Previously, Mr. Struwe served as a Captain in the U.S. Army JAG Corps as a Special Victim Prosecutor, where he was responsible for prosecuting rape and sexual assault allegations. Mr. Struwe frequently writes on due process considerations in both military justice and Title IX proceedings.
Otis McDonald Memorial Second Amendment Day Lecture
Chicago Lawyers Chapter Event
Lake Forest, ILFrom Employment Division v. Smith to Fulton v. City of Philadelphia: The Free Exercise Clause in 2021
Chattanooga and Nashville Lawyers Chapter - Online Event
Mass Arbitrations: Challenges, Benefits, and Proposals for Improvement
David E. Gottlieb, Christopher C. Murray, Allen Waxman
In Epic Systems Corp. v. Lewis, the Supreme Court confirmed that federal law permits employers...
Mass Arbitrations: Challenges, Benefits, and Proposals for Improvement
TeleforumReviewing The Supreme Court’s 2019/20 Term: A Panel Discussion
Josh Hammer, Samantha Harris, William E. Trachman, Shoshana Weissmann, Beth A. Williams, Alan Chen
The Colorado Lawyers Chapter held a virtual review of the 2019-20 Supreme Court term on...
Reviewing The Supreme Court’s 2019/20 Term: A Panel Discussion
Josh Hammer, Samantha Harris, William E. Trachman, Shoshana Weissmann, Beth A. Williams, Alan Chen
The Colorado Lawyers Chapter held a virtual review of the 2019-20 Supreme Court term on...
Reviewing The Supreme Court’s 2019/20 Term: A Panel Discussion
Colorado Lawyers Chapter - Online Event
DEBATE: Were the New Title IX Regulations Needed? Will They Result in Fairer Disciplinary Proceedings?
Matthew J. Hank, Samantha Harris, Brett Sokolow, David Struwe
The Philadelphia Lawyers Chapter of the Federalist Society held a virtual debate between Samantha K....
DEBATE: Were the New Title IX Regulations Needed? Will They Result in Fairer Disciplinary Proceedings?
Matthew J. Hank, Samantha Harris, Brett Sokolow, David Struwe
The Philadelphia Lawyers Chapter of the Federalist Society held a virtual debate between Samantha K....
DEBATE: Were the New Title IX Regulations Needed? Will They Result in Fairer Disciplinary Proceedings?
Philadelphia Lawyers Chapter - Online Event