Counsel, First Liberty Institute
In February 2022, Ryan Gardner joined the First Liberty Institute as Counsel after spending over four years at large Dallas law firm handling complex commercial disputes at both before both trial and appellate courts. Before his time in private practice, Ryan worked in Washington D.C. as a law clerk to the Honorable Janice Rogers Brown of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. Ryan graduated as Valedictorian from the Pepperdine University School of Law, where he served as the Lead Articles Editor for the Pepperdine Law Review and the President of the Pepperdine chapter of the Federalist Society. While in law school, Ryan also externed at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit for the Honorable Sandra Ikuta and worked in Pepperdine’s Ninth Circuit Clinic. Ryan received his bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice with a minor in Psychology from Harding University, where he graduated summa cum laude. Ryan is a member of the Texas State Bar and is admitted to practice in various federal district and appellate courts.
WFFC Distinguished Chair, Spring Arbor University; Counselor of the Ministry & President Emeritus, Salt & Light Global; Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Western Michigan University Cooley Law School
Following distinguished service as a federal judge and tenured university professor, William Wagner dedicated his life to full-time ministry. Now holding the rank of Distinguished Professor Emeritus, he is the Founder and President Emeritus of Salt & Light Global. He currently holds the WFFC Distinguished Chair for Faith & Freedom at Spring Arbor University.
Seasoning the public dialog with Truth, Wagner fights to protect free expression, religious conscience, and good governance under the rule of law. A frequent speaker at world conferences, his writing is published in a number of articles, books, and other publications, including an Amazon national best seller (#1in its category). As lead amicus counsel in many matters before the United States Supreme Court, he authored briefs on behalf of various organizations. He also authored written testimony, evidence, and briefs in such forums as the Swedish Supreme Court, the U.S. Congress, and the U.K. Parliament. He has further addressed many executive, legislative, parliamentary, and judicial audiences throughout the world, and presented at various diplomatic forums including the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva.
As a Federal Judge, Wagner adjudicated cases arising under the Constitution and laws of the United States. Prior to his appointment on the federal bench, he served as the chief American diplomat for the Department of Justice at an American Embassy in Africa. There he led a diplomatic mission charged with strengthening good governance and the rule of law.
During his career in public service, he provided international assistance to the justice sector institutions of numerous countries on five continents. Professor Wagner also served as Senior Assistant United States Attorney, litigating hundreds of federal cases and serving as chief of appellate litigation for the Office of the United States Attorney. Professor Wagner served as legal counsel in the United States Senate and as chief counsel to the Senate Judiciary Committee of the Michigan legislature. Most recently he served as Senior Advisor for Global Criminal Justice at the Department of State.
Counsel, First Liberty Institute
In February 2022, Ryan Gardner joined the First Liberty Institute as Counsel after spending over four years at large Dallas law firm handling complex commercial disputes at both before both trial and appellate courts. Before his time in private practice, Ryan worked in Washington D.C. as a law clerk to the Honorable Janice Rogers Brown of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. Ryan graduated as Valedictorian from the Pepperdine University School of Law, where he served as the Lead Articles Editor for the Pepperdine Law Review and the President of the Pepperdine chapter of the Federalist Society. While in law school, Ryan also externed at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit for the Honorable Sandra Ikuta and worked in Pepperdine’s Ninth Circuit Clinic. Ryan received his bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice with a minor in Psychology from Harding University, where he graduated summa cum laude. Ryan is a member of the Texas State Bar and is admitted to practice in various federal district and appellate courts.
WFFC Distinguished Chair, Spring Arbor University; Counselor of the Ministry & President Emeritus, Salt & Light Global; Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Western Michigan University Cooley Law School
Following distinguished service as a federal judge and tenured university professor, William Wagner dedicated his life to full-time ministry. Now holding the rank of Distinguished Professor Emeritus, he is the Founder and President Emeritus of Salt & Light Global. He currently holds the WFFC Distinguished Chair for Faith & Freedom at Spring Arbor University.
Seasoning the public dialog with Truth, Wagner fights to protect free expression, religious conscience, and good governance under the rule of law. A frequent speaker at world conferences, his writing is published in a number of articles, books, and other publications, including an Amazon national best seller (#1in its category). As lead amicus counsel in many matters before the United States Supreme Court, he authored briefs on behalf of various organizations. He also authored written testimony, evidence, and briefs in such forums as the Swedish Supreme Court, the U.S. Congress, and the U.K. Parliament. He has further addressed many executive, legislative, parliamentary, and judicial audiences throughout the world, and presented at various diplomatic forums including the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva.
As a Federal Judge, Wagner adjudicated cases arising under the Constitution and laws of the United States. Prior to his appointment on the federal bench, he served as the chief American diplomat for the Department of Justice at an American Embassy in Africa. There he led a diplomatic mission charged with strengthening good governance and the rule of law.
During his career in public service, he provided international assistance to the justice sector institutions of numerous countries on five continents. Professor Wagner also served as Senior Assistant United States Attorney, litigating hundreds of federal cases and serving as chief of appellate litigation for the Office of the United States Attorney. Professor Wagner served as legal counsel in the United States Senate and as chief counsel to the Senate Judiciary Committee of the Michigan legislature. Most recently he served as Senior Advisor for Global Criminal Justice at the Department of State.
Counsel, First Liberty Institute
In February 2022, Ryan Gardner joined the First Liberty Institute as Counsel after spending over four years at large Dallas law firm handling complex commercial disputes at both before both trial and appellate courts. Before his time in private practice, Ryan worked in Washington D.C. as a law clerk to the Honorable Janice Rogers Brown of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. Ryan graduated as Valedictorian from the Pepperdine University School of Law, where he served as the Lead Articles Editor for the Pepperdine Law Review and the President of the Pepperdine chapter of the Federalist Society. While in law school, Ryan also externed at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit for the Honorable Sandra Ikuta and worked in Pepperdine’s Ninth Circuit Clinic. Ryan received his bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice with a minor in Psychology from Harding University, where he graduated summa cum laude. Ryan is a member of the Texas State Bar and is admitted to practice in various federal district and appellate courts.
WFFC Distinguished Chair, Spring Arbor University; Counselor of the Ministry & President Emeritus, Salt & Light Global; Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Western Michigan University Cooley Law School
Following distinguished service as a federal judge and tenured university professor, William Wagner dedicated his life to full-time ministry. Now holding the rank of Distinguished Professor Emeritus, he is the Founder and President Emeritus of Salt & Light Global. He currently holds the WFFC Distinguished Chair for Faith & Freedom at Spring Arbor University.
Seasoning the public dialog with Truth, Wagner fights to protect free expression, religious conscience, and good governance under the rule of law. A frequent speaker at world conferences, his writing is published in a number of articles, books, and other publications, including an Amazon national best seller (#1in its category). As lead amicus counsel in many matters before the United States Supreme Court, he authored briefs on behalf of various organizations. He also authored written testimony, evidence, and briefs in such forums as the Swedish Supreme Court, the U.S. Congress, and the U.K. Parliament. He has further addressed many executive, legislative, parliamentary, and judicial audiences throughout the world, and presented at various diplomatic forums including the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva.
As a Federal Judge, Wagner adjudicated cases arising under the Constitution and laws of the United States. Prior to his appointment on the federal bench, he served as the chief American diplomat for the Department of Justice at an American Embassy in Africa. There he led a diplomatic mission charged with strengthening good governance and the rule of law.
During his career in public service, he provided international assistance to the justice sector institutions of numerous countries on five continents. Professor Wagner also served as Senior Assistant United States Attorney, litigating hundreds of federal cases and serving as chief of appellate litigation for the Office of the United States Attorney. Professor Wagner served as legal counsel in the United States Senate and as chief counsel to the Senate Judiciary Committee of the Michigan legislature. Most recently he served as Senior Advisor for Global Criminal Justice at the Department of State.
Justice, Wisconsin Supreme Court
Justice Rebecca Grassl Bradley, a Milwaukee native, was elected to the Supreme Court in 2016 after being appointed by Gov. Scott Walker in 2015. She is the first Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice to have served as an intermediate appellate court judge as well as a circuit court judge. Before joining the Supreme Court, Justice Bradley served as a District I Court of Appeals judge (appointed 2015), a Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge (appointed 2012, elected 2013) and worked as an attorney in private practice (1996-2012), including serving as vice president of legal operations for a global software company.
Justice Bradley graduated from Marquette University in 1993 with an honors B.S. in Business Administration and Business Economics and received her juris doctor from the University of Wisconsin Law School in 1996.
Justice Bradley is a member of the Supreme Court Finance Committee and chairs the Supreme Court Legislative Committee as the Chief Justice's designee. She is a member of the Board of Advisors and past president of the Milwaukee Lawyers Chapter of the Federalist Society; serves on the Wisconsin State Advisory Committee of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights; and is a member of the Bench and Bar Committee of the Wisconsin State Bar. She previously served on the Board of Governors of the St. Thomas More Lawyers Society; the Wisconsin Juvenile Jury Instructions Committee; the Wisconsin Juvenile Benchbook Committee; and as a member of the Milwaukee Trial Judges Association and the Wisconsin Trial Judges Association. While in private practice, Justice Bradley served as an American Arbitration Association Arbitrator and Chairman of the State Bar Business Law Section.
Justice Bradley's current term expires July 31, 2026.
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.
Executive Vice President and Director of Litigation, EdChoice Legal Advocates
Before founding a public interest law firm at EdChoice, Tom Fisher served as Indiana’s first Solicitor General from 2005-2023. Fisher has argued dozens of high-profile cases before both the Indiana Supreme Court and the Seventh Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals and five cases before the U.S. Supreme Court. A two-time recipient of the National Association of Attorneys General Best Brief Award, Fisher is a Fellow of the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers and a Sagamore of the Wabash. Fisher is a graduate of Wabash College and Indiana University Maurer School of Law, where he serves as an Adjunct Professor of Law.
Managing Attorney, Institute for Justice
Arif Panju serves as a managing attorney with the Institute for Justice. He leads IJ’s Texas office and litigates cases involving free speech, property rights, economic liberty, and educational choice.
Arif is co-counsel in the case of Carson v. Makin in the U.S. Supreme Court. Carson is a challenge to Maine’s exclusion of religious educational options from the state’s school choice program.
Arif’s work has resulted in court victories in both federal and state court. He vindicated the free speech rights of tour guides in Billups v. City of Charleston. He secured a victory for economic liberty in Brantley v. Kuntz, freeing hairbraiding schools in Texas from onerous restrictions and paving the way for the abolishment of the state’s braiding license at the Texas Legislature. In Patel v. Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, Arif helped secure a landmark victory in the Texas Supreme Court, establishing a new test for reviewing the constitutionality of economic regulations.
Arif’s work at IJ has been featured by outlets including The Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Washington Post, The Atlantic, Texas Tribune, and dozens more nationwide. His opinions and views on legal issues have been published in several outlets, including the Dallas Morning News, Austin American-Statesman, and USA Today. Arif sits on the board for the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas.
Arif graduated law school with honors from Southern Methodist University. During law school he clerked on the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. Arif lives in Austin, Texas.
Judge, Arizona Court of Appeals, Division One
The Honorable Jennifer M. Perkins began service on the Arizona Court of Appeals, Division One, on October 30, 2017. At the time of her appointment by Governor Douglas Ducey, Judge Perkins was Assistant Solicitor General for the State of Arizona.
Judge Perkins was born in Portales, New Mexico, and primarily raised in Albuquerque. She attended the prestigious Albuquerque Academy from 1988-1995, before moving to Washington D.C. to attend the Elliott School of International Affairs at the George Washington University as a National Merit Scholar. Therafter, she relocated again to Dallas, Texas, and earned her juris doctor from the SMU Dedman School of Law, graduating cum laude in 2002.
Judge Perkins started her career at the law firm of Browning & Peifer (now Peifer, Hanson, Mullins, and Baker) in Albuquerque, New Mexico. While there, she litigated complex commercial matters including class action plaintiff and defense work, and assisted with employment and contract litigation. In 2003, the judge accompanied the Honorable James O. Browning in transitioning to the federal district court bench, serving as his first law clerk.
After her clerkship, Judge Perkins moved to Arizona to work for the Institute for Justice, Arizona Chapter, a public interest law firm. She spent five years with IJ-AZ litigating civil rights cases in Arizona and across the country. In 2009, the judge became Disciplinary Counsel for the Arizona Commission on Judicial Conduct, where she reviewed and prosecuted ethics complaints against state court judges throughout Arizona. After five years serving the state in this capacity, Judge Perkins entered private practice by joining an appellate law firm in Phoenix. While there, she worked on state and federal appeals involving a wide range of legal subjects, including complex business disputes, property rights, judicial ethics, and personal injury matters.
In January 2015, Judge Perkins joined the Office of the Arizona Attorney General to serve as the first Assistant Solicitor General; in that capacity, she was responsible for oversight of Attorney General Opinions and served as ethics counsel to the entire office. In addition to these two primary roles, the judge assisted on a variety of matters including trial and appellate litigation of election-related matters; federal appellate litigation with the Federalism Unit; state criminal appeals; and drafting amicus briefs on behalf of Arizona in state and federal courts.
Partner, Troutman Pepper Locke LLP
Misha leads Troutman Peppers' national appellate and Supreme Court practice. Most recently, he successfully obtained orders from the Supreme Court blocking an unconstitutional restriction on places of worship, as well as overturning a lower court order that had blocked several state election laws. He has also argued and prevailed before the Supreme Court in Gill v. Whitford, one of the most significant redistricting cases in decades, as well as Murr v. Wisconsin, a high-stakes regulatory taking case.
Before joining Troutman, Misha served as Solicitor General of the State of Wisconsin. Misha previously served as a law clerk for the Honorable Anthony M. Kennedy of the Supreme Court, Janice Rogers Brown of the D.C. Circuit, and Alex Kozinski of the 9th Circuit. He graduated from Georgetown University Law Center, where he was President of the Federalist Society Chapter.
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