Ryan J.Watson

Ryan Watson, a former law clerk to Justice Samuel Alito, has more than 15 years of experience focusing on appellate litigation and high-stakes cases that challenge regulatory actions. Ryan's cases often involve constitutional law, statutory interpretation, and administrative law.

Ryan has successfully briefed cases in the United States Supreme Court and has argued in federal appellate courts and district courts. Ryan frequently works on matters involving proposed or final actions by federal regulatory agencies such as the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA), and he also develops creative legal strategies and comment submissions to regulatory agencies. Ryan argued a successful First Amendment challenge to FDA's graphic warnings rule, which would have required large graphic warnings with disturbing images on cigarette packages and advertising. Additionally, he helped to obtain an appellate ruling that stayed an FDA marketing denial order and to persuade another court to invalidate FDA's pre-approval requirements for many changes to labels and brand names.

In addition, Ryan served as principal brief-writer in a successful appeal involving novel technology issues and foreign sovereign immunity, helped Michael Jackson's estate prevail on appeal, and provided appellate representation to immigrants fleeing persecution. He also has contributed to successful merits briefing in Supreme Court cases and has co-written influential amicus briefs to the Supreme Court.

Ryan speaks about the Supreme Court, moots advocates for Supreme Court cases, is a member of the Messiah University Law Professionals Council, and previously served as an adjunct professor at The George Washington University Law School.