Josh Salzman

Senior Counsel

Joshua Salzman is Senior Counsel at Democracy Forward.

Prior to joining Democracy Forward, Mr. Salzman spent ten years working at the U.S. Department of Justice as an attorney and then Assistant Director with the Civil Division’s Appellate Staff. During that time, Mr. Salzman briefed hundreds of matters in the federal courts of appeals, arguing nearly 45 cases across twelve of the thirteen circuits. He also substantially participated in numerous matters before the U.S. Supreme Court. Mr. Salzman’s diverse areas of expertise include administrative law, the law concerning the appointment and removal of federal officers, the separation of powers, and the First Amendment. During his time at the Department of Justice, Mr. Salzman also regularly consulted on proposed rulemakings and provided pre-litigation counseling, and his excellence in counseling agency clients was recognized in Attorney General awards in 2020 and 2024.

Prior to joining the DOJ, Mr. Salzman spent seven years at WilmerHale LLP as a member of the Appellate and Supreme Court Litigation practice group. During that time, he worked on an array of litigation matters, including high stakes appeals for both paying and pro bono clients.

Mr. Salzman graduated magna cum laude from both Columbia College and Harvard Law School and he is a former Articles Editor of the Harvard Law Review. After law school, he served as a law clerk for the Hon. Bruce M. Selya of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit.