Vice President, Practice Groups, The Federalist Society
Judge, United States Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit
Judge O’Scannlain was appointed United States Circuit Judge for the Ninth Circuit by President Reagan on September 26, 1986. He received a J.D. degree in 1963 from Harvard Law School and a B.A. in 1957 from St. John’s University. He also earned the LL.M. (Judicial Process) degree at University of Virginia Law School in 1992. He was awarded the LL.D. (honoris causa) degree by the University of Notre Dame in 2002, the LL.D. (honoris causa) degree by Lewis & Clark College in 2003 and the LL.D. (honoris causa) degree by the University of Portland in 2011.
As a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, Judge O’Scannlain has participated in over 6,000 federal cases and has written hundreds of published opinions on a broad range of subjects including constitutional law, international law, securities law, administrative law, and criminal law. He hears appeals in San Francisco (court headquarters), as well as in Los Angeles (Pasadena), Portland, Seattle, Anchorage and Honolulu. The late Chief Justice Rehnquist appointed Judge O'Scannlain to the Federal Judicial Center's Advisory Committee on Appellate Judge Education. In 2009, Chief Justice Roberts appointed Judge O’Scannlain to the International Judicial Relations Committee of the U.S. Judicial Conference and subsequently appointed him Chairman in 2010.
President George W. Bush appointed Judge O’Scannlain to the Board of Trustees of the James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation in 2004. Pope Benedict XVI conferred the Order of Saint Gregory the Great on Judge and Mrs. O’Scannlain in 2007.
Judge O’Scannlain’s professional interests also include judicial administration and reform, and continuing legal education. Judge O’Scannlain is former Chair of the Judicial Division of the American Bar Association and has previously chaired the ABA’s Appellate Judges Conference, its Committee on Appellate Practice, and its 9th Appellate Practice Institute. He has testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee on several occasions, the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Courts and Intellectual Property, and the Commission on Structural Alternatives for the Federal Courts of Appeals on the subject of court reorganization. In addition to serving as a faculty member at numerous federal appellate practice seminars for judges and attorneys, including New York University Law School’s Institute for Judicial Administration, Judge O’Scannlain is an Adjunct Professor at Lewis & Clark Law School where he teaches a seminar on the Supreme Court. He has served as a Moot Court Judge at distinguished law schools across the United States including Harvard, Yale Stanford, Boalt Hall (Berkeley Law), Virginia, Cornell, Notre Dame, Fordham, Alabama, University of Southern California, King Hall (U.C. Davis) and Loyola Marymount University and in China at Xiamen and Renmin Universities.
Between graduation from Harvard and investiture as a federal judge, Judge O’Scannlain was primarily engaged in private law practice. Between 1969 and 1974, he was consecutively the Deputy Attorney General of Oregon, the Public Utility Commissioner of Oregon, and Director of the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality. He retired from the U.S. Army Reserve in 1978 as a Major after 23 years Reserve and National Guard service, including four years as an enlisted man.
A first generation Irish-American son of immigrant parents from Sligo and Derry, Judge O’Scannlain is married to the former Maura Nolan and has eight children: Sean, Jane, Brendan, Kevin, Megan, Christopher, Anne, and Kate, and nineteen grandchildren. His chambers are in the Pioneer Courthouse in Portland, Oregon.
VP, Legal Policy and Copyright Counsel, Copyright Alliance
Terry Hart joined the Copyright Alliance in 2013. He has been quoted by publications such as Politico, The Hollywood Reporter, and BNA’s Patent, Trademark, and Copyright Daily. His articles have appeared in publications including the George Mason Law Review, SCOTUSBlog, and IP Watchdog. He speaks regularly and has appeared at events such as the Copyright Society Mid-Winter Meeting, the Fordham IP Law & Policy Conference, the CPIP Fall Conference, the IPO Annual Meeting, and the WIPO/USPTO Summer School on IP.
Since 2010, Terry has blogged at Copyhype on copyright law, history, and policy. The blog was named one of the top 100 legal blogs by the American Bar Association in 2011 and has been cited in law review articles, legal filings, and books.
In addition, he is an adjunct professor at George Mason University School of Law, where he teaches copyright law.
Counsel, Hunton Andrews Kurth
The former Principal Deputy Solicitor General in Virginia’s Office of the Attorney General, Matt is a seasoned appellate and trial court attorney. As counsel, Matt focuses on appellate litigation as well as helping clients frame complex legal issues before trial courts and administrative agencies.
Before joining Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP, Matt served for nearly four years in the Solicitor General’s division of the Office of the Attorney General of Virginia. He represented the Commonwealth, its agencies and its officials in significant and sensitive cases pending before the US Supreme Court, the US Courts of Appeals, the Supreme Court of Virginia and federal and state trial courts. Before the US Supreme Court, Matt briefed, argued and won a 5-4 victory in Currier v. Virginia, 138 S. Ct. 2144 (2018). That case involved a “complicated” constitutional question about the double jeopardy clause, which resulted in one commentator noting “the exceptionally high intellectual plane of the Supreme Court’s discourse” during the argument (SCOTUSBlog 2018). Matt was also the principal attorney defending the sentence imposed on Lee Boyd Malvo, one of the “D.C. Snipers,” including drafting the successful petition for writ of certiorari, granted by the US Supreme Court in 2019. Recently, Matt argued before the full en banc US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit in Manning v. Caldwell, a case challenging the constitutionality of Virginia’s habitual drunkard laws, and successfully represented the Virginia State Bar before the Supreme Court of Virginia in Morrissey v. Virginia State Bar.
Before joining the Attorney General’s office, Matt frequently represented clients before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) in proceedings arising under the Federal Power Act and the Natural Gas Act. Immediately after law school, Matt served as a law clerk for Judge E. Grady Jolly on the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.
Matt also co-teaches a course on the Constitution and State Attorneys General at the University of Richmond School of Law.
Partner, Patrick Doerr
Mr. Rando has represented clients in matters involving computer hardware and software, silicon chip manufacturing, biotechnology, medical devices, pharmaceuticals, chemical compounds, food additives, alternative energy, AI, autonomous vehicles, blockchain, consumer electronics, communications, internet, and e-commerce. He has appeared in courts across the country, including the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York and multiple U.S. Courts of Appeals.
As appellate counsel, Mr. Rando has served as counsel of record or co-counsel in more than 30 amicus briefs filed before the U.S. Supreme Court and Federal Circuit on issues of patent law, statutory interpretation, separation of powers, and constitutional law. Noteworthy filings include eBay Inc. v. MercExchange (2006), Oil States v. Greene’s Energy (2017), American Axle v. Neapco (2021), Amgen v. Sanofi (2023), and Cellect v. Vidal (2024).
Mr. Rando is a Fellow of the Academy of Court-Appointed Masters, having served by judicial appointment as Special Master in numerous complex patent cases, including multi-day Markman hearings and post-discovery proceedings. He also serves as a court-appointed Mediator and Neutral in both patent and commercial disputes.
He has played an active role in judicial and legislative engagement. Mr. Rando co-developed and conducted lecture series for the SDNY and EDNY Patent Pilot Program Judges and Clerks, covering the America Invents Act and Section 101 eligibility post-Alice and Mayo. He represented both the Federal Bar Association (FBA) and New York Intellectual Property Law Association (NYIPLA) at the Tillis/Coons Section 101 Patent Reform Roundtable, and submitted written testimony to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee in 2019.
Mr. Rando is a former president of the NYIPLA (2023–2024) and has held nearly every leadership position in the organization. He also served as Chair of the FBA’s Intellectual Property Law Section and was a founding member and president of the FBA’s EDNY Chapter. He is a founding member of the Association of Amicus Counsel, and an active contributor to the Federalist Society IP Practice Group Executive Committee.
He frequently lectures at CLE programs, universities, and legal associations on IP, constitutional law, and appellate advocacy. He has been quoted extensively in publications such as Law360, Bloomberg Law, WIPR, and National Law Journal. His scholarly publications include articles in The Federal Lawyer, Touro Law Review, and IPWatchdog.
Deputy General Counsel, U.S. Copyright Office
Kevin R. Amer is deputy general counsel for the United States Copyright Office. He was appointed to the position effective March 3, 2019.
In his position, Amer assists the General Counsel and Associate Register of Copyrights in providing legal guidance to the Office’s divisions, promulgating regulations governing the administration of the copyright system, advising congressional offices and other federal agencies, and developing legal positions in copyright litigation and other matters.
Amer joined the Copyright Office in 2013 as counsel in the Office of Policy and International Affairs, and served as senior counsel in that office from 2015 to 2019. Before joining the Office, he spent several years in private practice in Washington, DC, focusing on appellate litigation. Previously, he served as a law clerk to the Hon. Charles R. Wilson of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.
Amer earned his JD from Yale Law School. He earned his AB in history and literature from Harvard University.
Professor of Law, South Texas College of Law Houston
Josh Blackman is a national thought leader on constitutional law and the United States Supreme Court. Josh’s work was quoted during two presidential impeachment trials. He has testified before Congress and advises federal and state lawmakers. Josh regularly appears on TV, including NBC, CBS, ABC, Fox, and the BBC. Josh is also a frequent guest on NPR and other syndicated radio programs. He has published commentaries in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, and leading national publications.
Since 2012, Josh has served as a professor at the South Texas College of Law Houston. He holds the Centennial Chair of Constitutional Law. Josh is an Adjunct Fellow at the Manhattan Institute. Josh has written more than seven dozen law review articles that have been cited more than a thousand times. Josh was selected as the Jurist of the Year by the Texas Journal of Law & Public Policy, received the inaugural Meese III Originalism Award, and was awarded the Inaugural Joseph Story Award. Josh was selected by Forbes Magazine for the “30 Under 30” in Law and Policy. Josh is the President of the Harlan Institute, and founded FantasySCOTUS, the Internet’s Premier Supreme Court Fantasy League. He blogs at the Volokh Conspiracyand posts@JoshMBlackman.
Associate Professor, UNH Franklin Pierce School of Law
Zvi S. Rosen is an Associate Professor at UNH Franklin Pierce School of Law and the Faculty Director of the Franklin Pierce Society for Intellectual Property. He has served as a Assistant Professor at the Southern Illinois University School of Law, as a Visiting Assistant Professor at the Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University, and as a Visiting Scholar and Professorial Lecturer in Law at George Washington University School of Law.
In 2015-2016, he was the Abraham L. Kaminstein Scholar in Residence at the U.S. Copyright Office. Mr. Rosen received his J.D. from Northwestern University School of Law in 2005 and LLM in Intellectual Property in 2006 from the George Washington University Law School. He has practiced at Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP as well as smaller firms and his own practice, and clerked for the Hon. Thomas B. Bennett of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Alabama. He has written extensively on the development of modern copyright and trademark law, as well as on bankruptcy law.
President and General Counsel, New Civil Liberties Alliance
NCLA’s President and General Counsel, Mark Chenoweth, has observed the administrative state up close and personal from perches in all four branches of the federal government. Mark served as the first chief of staff to Congressman Mike Pompeo, as legal counsel to Commissioner Anne Northup at the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, as an attorney advisor in the Office of Legal Policy at the U.S. Department of Justice, and as a law clerk to the Hon. Danny J. Boggs on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.
Mark has worked in several different roles in the private sector as well. He began his legal career in D.C. as a regulatory associate at Wilmer, Cutler & Pickering. He then returned to his home state of Kansas to serve as in-house counsel for Koch Industries. Most recently he spent over four years as general counsel of the Washington Legal Foundation.
Mark is a graduate of Yale College and the University of Chicago Law School, where he co-founded the Institute for Justice Clinic on Entrepreneurship and became a Tony Patiño Fellow. Mark has been widely quoted and/or published in newspapers and websites including the New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle, New Hampshire Union Leader, and Metropolitan Corporate Counsel. He has also had recurring op-eds in the Los Angeles Daily Journal, and at Forbes.com.
Founder, Law Office of Eileen J. O'Connor PLLC
After nearly 30 years as a national tax specialist with the IRS and major accounting firms, Eileen J. O’Connor, now an attorney in private practice, was Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s Tax Division for six years during the administration of President George W. Bush and a member of then-President-elect Trump’s Treasury Department Transition Team. She focuses on federal administrative and tax law.
United States Senator, Utah
Elected in 2010 as Utah's 16th Senator, Mike Lee has spent his career defending the basic liberties of Americans and Utahns as a tireless advocate for our founding constitutional principles.
Senator Lee acquired a deep respect for the Constitution early on. His father, Rex Lee, who served as the Solicitor General under President Ronald Reagan, would often discuss varied aspects of judicial and constitutional doctrine around the kitchen table, from Due Process to the uses of Executive Plenary Power. He attended most of his father's arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court, giving him a unique, hands-on experience and understanding of government up close.
Lee graduated from Brigham Young University with a Bachelor of Science in Political Science, and served as BYU's Student Body President in his senior year. He graduated from BYU's Law School in 1997 and went on to serve as law clerk to Judge Dee Benson of the U.S. District Court for the District of Utah, and then with future Supreme Court Justice Judge Samuel A. Alito, Jr. on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.
Lee spent several years as an attorney with the law firm Sidley & Austin specializing in appellate and Supreme Court litigation, and then served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in Salt Lake City arguing cases before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit.
Lee served the state of Utah as Governor Jon Huntsman's General Counsel and was later honored to reunite with Justice Alito, now on the Supreme Court, for a one-year clerkship. He returned to private practice in 2007.
Throughout his career, Lee earned a reputation as an outstanding practitioner of the law based on his sound judgment, abilities in the courtroom, and thorough understanding of the Constitution.
Today, Lee fights to preserve America's proud founding document in the United States Senate. He advocates efforts to support constitutionally limited government, fiscal responsibility, individual liberty, and economic prosperity.
Lee is a member of the Judiciary Committee, and serves as Chairman of the Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights Subcommittee protecting business competition and personal freedom.
He also oversees issues critical to Utah as the Chairman of the Water and Power Subcommittee of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee. He serves on the Commerce Committee and the Joint Economic Committee, as well.
In the 114th Congress, Lee also began his tenure as Chairman of the Senate Steering Committee, where he works with his Republican colleagues in the Senate to introduce bold and innovative solutions to issues facing the American people.
Lee and his wife Sharon live in Alpine, Utah, with their three children. He is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and served a two-year mission for the Church in the Texas Rio Grande Valley.
VP, Legal Policy and Copyright Counsel, Copyright Alliance
Terry Hart joined the Copyright Alliance in 2013. He has been quoted by publications such as Politico, The Hollywood Reporter, and BNA’s Patent, Trademark, and Copyright Daily. His articles have appeared in publications including the George Mason Law Review, SCOTUSBlog, and IP Watchdog. He speaks regularly and has appeared at events such as the Copyright Society Mid-Winter Meeting, the Fordham IP Law & Policy Conference, the CPIP Fall Conference, the IPO Annual Meeting, and the WIPO/USPTO Summer School on IP.
Since 2010, Terry has blogged at Copyhype on copyright law, history, and policy. The blog was named one of the top 100 legal blogs by the American Bar Association in 2011 and has been cited in law review articles, legal filings, and books.
In addition, he is an adjunct professor at George Mason University School of Law, where he teaches copyright law.
Counsel, Hunton Andrews Kurth
The former Principal Deputy Solicitor General in Virginia’s Office of the Attorney General, Matt is a seasoned appellate and trial court attorney. As counsel, Matt focuses on appellate litigation as well as helping clients frame complex legal issues before trial courts and administrative agencies.
Before joining Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP, Matt served for nearly four years in the Solicitor General’s division of the Office of the Attorney General of Virginia. He represented the Commonwealth, its agencies and its officials in significant and sensitive cases pending before the US Supreme Court, the US Courts of Appeals, the Supreme Court of Virginia and federal and state trial courts. Before the US Supreme Court, Matt briefed, argued and won a 5-4 victory in Currier v. Virginia, 138 S. Ct. 2144 (2018). That case involved a “complicated” constitutional question about the double jeopardy clause, which resulted in one commentator noting “the exceptionally high intellectual plane of the Supreme Court’s discourse” during the argument (SCOTUSBlog 2018). Matt was also the principal attorney defending the sentence imposed on Lee Boyd Malvo, one of the “D.C. Snipers,” including drafting the successful petition for writ of certiorari, granted by the US Supreme Court in 2019. Recently, Matt argued before the full en banc US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit in Manning v. Caldwell, a case challenging the constitutionality of Virginia’s habitual drunkard laws, and successfully represented the Virginia State Bar before the Supreme Court of Virginia in Morrissey v. Virginia State Bar.
Before joining the Attorney General’s office, Matt frequently represented clients before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) in proceedings arising under the Federal Power Act and the Natural Gas Act. Immediately after law school, Matt served as a law clerk for Judge E. Grady Jolly on the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.
Matt also co-teaches a course on the Constitution and State Attorneys General at the University of Richmond School of Law.
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