United States Attorney for the District of Columbia, U.S. Department of Justice
Jeanine Ferris Pirro was sworn-in as United States Attorney for the District of Columbia on August 2, 2025.
Judge Pirro has more than three decades of experience in law enforcement. She served as an Assistant District Attorney for Westchester County, NY, before becoming the first female judge elected to the Westchester County Court. Judge Pirro was the first woman elected to serve as Westchester County District Attorney for three consecutive terms and was the first female president of the New York State District Attorneys Association.
Ms. Pirro has the distinction of starting the first domestic violence unit in a prosecutor’s office in the nation, followed by several other victim-focused programs. She is the author of eight books including New York Times best sellers.
Chief Counsel, U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary
Ryan Giles serves as a Chief Counsel for the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary. In this capacity, he concurrently supervises two separate units of attorneys on the Committee—the Nominations & Constitution unit and the Crime & National Security unit. He and his team advise the Chairman on judicial and Department of Justice nominations, constitutional law, federal courts, litigation, legal policy, criminal law, and national security.
Previously, Ryan held roles as General Counsel for the Senate Republican Policy Committee and General Counsel for the Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs Committee. During his time in the Senate, Ryan has advised on issues ranging from regulatory policy, technology, artificial intelligence, Senate procedure, national security, and international law.
Before his Senate tenure, Ryan litigated at both trial and appellate levels at Williams & Connolly in Washington, D.C. He also clerked for Judge David Sentelle on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit and Judge Britt Grant on the Eleventh Circuit.
Earlier in his career, Ryan served as a police officer in Georgia, working as a midnight shift patrol officer, field training officer, and SWAT team member. He also served as an infantry officer in the Georgia Army National Guard.
U.S. Court of Federal Claims and Jurist-In-Residence Professor of Law, The University of Akron School of Law
Judge Ryan T. Holte was sworn in as a judge on the United States Court of Federal Claims in July 2019. Prior to confirmation he served as the David L. Brennan Professor of Law and Director of the Center for Intellectual Property Law and Technology at The University of Akron School of Law (2017-2019) and an assistant professor of law at Southern Illinois University School of Law (2013-2017). Judge Holte has written and presented widely on patent law subjects and empirical legal studies of Federal Circuit and district court patent law cases. His most recent articles were published in the Iowa Law Review (2019), George Mason Law Review (2018), and Washington Law Review (2017).
In practice, Judge Holte served for six years as general counsel and partner of an electrical engineering technology company and is co-inventor of multiple patents related to Systems and Methods for Countering Satellite-Navigated Munitions. Prior to entering academia, Judge Holte practiced as a litigation attorney at the Federal Trade Commission and an associate in the Intellectual Property Practice Group at Jones Day. Prior to practice, he served as a law clerk to Judge Stanley F. Birch, Jr. on the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit and as a law clerk to Judge Loren A. Smith on the United States Court of Federal Claims.
Judge Holte received his JD from the University of California Davis School of Law and his BS, magna cum laude, in engineering from the California Maritime Academy where he was a First Class graduate of the Corps of Cadets Third Engineering Division and sailed as a U.S. Merchant Marine oiler.
Legal Fellow and Manager, Supreme Court and Appellate Advocacy Program, The Heritage Foundation
Zack is a Legal Fellow and Manager of the Supreme Court and Appellate Advocacy Program in the Edwin Meese III Center for Legal and Judicial Studies at The Heritage Foundation.
He previously served for several years as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Northern District of Florida. Prior to that, he spent two years as an associate in the Washington, D.C. office of Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton, which he joined after clerking for the Hon. Emmett R. Cox on the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.
Smith received his undergraduate, master’s, and law degrees from the University of Florida. During law school, Smith served as the Editor in Chief of the Florida Law Review and served on the executive boards of several student organizations, including the UF Chapter of the Federalist Society.
Judge, United States Court of Federal Claims
Judge Schwartz was nominated to the U.S. Court of Federal Claims on June 7, 2017, confirmed on December 8, 2020, and received his commission on December 22, 2020.
Judge Schwartz graduated from Yale College in 2005. He received his J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School, where he was Online Editor of the University of Chicago Law Review and a Hinton Moot Court finalist. He clerked for Judge Jerry E. Smith on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.
Following his clerkship, Judge Schwartz was a litigation associate at D.C. law firm, focusing his practice on appellate and administrative law matters. He then joined a non-profit where he litigated cases related to federal government transparency and administrative agency discretion. In 2016 he joined a D.C. litigation boutique where he represented state and local governments in complex trial court and appellate proceedings, becoming a partner in 2017.
A native of Winona, Minnesota, he lives with his family in Arlington, Virginia.
Deputy Assistant Attorney General, U.S. Department of Justice
Partner, Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP
Kannon is the head of our Supreme Court & Appellate practice. He has argued 39 cases before the U.S. Supreme Court and has argued more than 150 appeals in courts across the country, including every federal court of appeals and numerous state courts.
Kannon is ranked as a “Star Individual” in appellate law by Chambers USA, where a client notes, “It’s hard to think of enough superlatives to describe his talent, his judgment, his ability, his experience – he is as good as it gets.” Legal 500 U.S. recognizes Kannon in its Hall of Fame for appellate work. A client shares, “His work is the best in the business, and he is a wonderful human being in addition to being a world-class appellate litigator.”
In 2024 and 2022, Kannon was a finalist for the American Lawyer’s “Litigator of the Year” award. He was named “Appellate Litigator of the Year” by Benchmark Litigation in 2021 and was a 2026 finalist for that recognition.
Before entering private practice, Kannon served as an Assistant to the Solicitor General at the U.S. Department of Justice.
CEO, President, and General Counsel, Alliance Defending Freedom
As the CEO, president, and general counsel of Alliance Defending Freedom, Kristen Waggoner leads the faith-based organization in advancing every person’s God-given right to live and speak the truth in the U.S. and around the world. She oversees more than 450 ADF team members in 10 global offices.
Since 2011, ADF has won 15 cases at the U.S. Supreme Court, three of which were argued by Waggoner: Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission, Uzuebgunam v. Presczewski, and 303 Creative v. Elenis. ADF also has a strong record of international success at the European Court of Human Rights, United Nations, and other leading courts and tribunals and has secured the release of more than 1,000 imprisoned Christians.
After clerking with Washington Supreme Court Justice Richard B. Sanders, Waggoner practiced law for over 16 years at a Seattle firm before joining ADF in 2013. She is Peer Review Rated AV® Preeminent™ in Martindale-Hubbell. Waggoner is a sought-after public speaker who often appears in national and international media outlets.
CANCELED: September 2025 DC Lunch with Judge Jeanine Pirro
Washington, DC2025 Education Law and Policy Conference
Federal Executive Power and Education
Washington, DCFederal Claims & Federal Careers: Fifth Amendment Takings, the Court of Federal Claims, Federal Nominations, and Launching a D.C. Legal Career from Georgia
Georgia Student Chapter
Athens, GACapital Safety: DC Crime Crackdown and Police Federalization
Florida State Student Chapter
Tallahassee , FLSalon Dinner with Deputy Secretary of Labor Keith Sonderling
Washington, DCWhy You Should Care About the Court of Federal Claims
Dallas Lawyers Chapter
Dallas, TXThe Federalist Society Adds Four New Members To Board of Directors
The Federalist Society is pleased to welcome Thomas Bell, Stephen Sachs, Annie Talley, and Michael...
A Breakfast Conversation with FCC Commissioner Olivia Trusty
Washington DC, DC2024-2025 SCOTUS Roundup - Tyler
Tyler Lawyers Chapter
Tyler, TX2025 Annual Supreme Court Round Up
Kannon K. Shanmugam, Kristen K. Waggoner
On Thursday, July 24, the Washington, D.C. Lawyers Chapter will gather for the annual Supreme...