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.
担当案件
Separation of powers: A primer, coauthor, Washington Times
出版物情報
- August 23, 2016
The Supreme Court’s Summary Docket: Highlights, Trends, and Statistics, Appellate Practice (American Bar Association), Vol. 35, No. 4.
- November 22, 2022
Interview: Ryan Watson, Appellate Lawyer Podcast: Working with Dan Doriani - December 13, 2019
Lecture Topic: The Supreme Court of the United States
Rockbridge Academy - October 4, 2019
Symposium Panelist: Clerking at the Supreme Court — The GW Connection, Presented by The National Constitution Center & the GW Law Review - December 5, 2018
Lecture Topic: The Supreme Court of the United States
Rockbridge Academy - December 4, 2017
Lecture Topic: The Supreme Court of the United States
Rockbridge Academy - April 4, 2017
Symposium Panelist: Trinity Lutheran Church v. Pauley, George Mason University -- Antonin Scalia Law School - March 22, 2017
Christian Legal Society -- The George Washington University Law School Chapter - December 2, 2016
Lecture Topic: The Supreme Court of the United States
Rockbridge Academy - April 12, 2016
Presentation Topic: The Life Cycle of a Supreme Court Case, the Role of Law Clerks, and the Cert Pool, University of Kentucky College of Law - November 20, 2015
Lecture Topic: The Life Cycle of a Case Before the Supreme Court of the United States, Messiah University - October 29, 2013
Lecture Topic: The Supreme Court of the United States
Rockbridge Academy
Panel Discussion: Judicial Clerkships
The George Washington University Law School
- The George Washington University (J.D. with highest honors 2007; Order of the Coif; Notes Editor, The George Washington Law Review; Winner, Best Overall Competitor & Best Brief, George Washington International Law Moot Court Competition; Presidential Merit Scholar; Recipient, Willard Waddington Gatchell Award); Messiah University (B.S. in Economics summa cum laude 2002; Outstanding Achievement in Economics Award)
- District of Columbia; Maryland; U.S. Supreme Court; U.S. Courts of Appeals for the D.C., Fifth, Sixth, Eighth, Ninth, and Eleventh Circuits
- Law Clerk to Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr., U.S. Supreme Court (2012-2013) and to Judge Janice Rogers Brown, U.S. Court of Appeals, D.C. Circuit (2007-2008)