Announcement Follows the Hiring of High-Profile and Experienced Appellate Attorneys

Washington, D.C. – Following a series of federal district court wins against the Trump-Vance administration’s anti-democratic agenda, Democracy Forward today announced the launch of an appellate practice to continue to meet the needs of people and communities as cases move to federal appellate courts and the U.S. Supreme Court. The move will add infrastructure to pro-democracy legal efforts and civil society as some private law firms with appeals practices have pulled back from taking on cases that challenge the administration. The additional capacity will enable Democracy Forward to handle not only the appeals from the cases it brings in district courts but to handle appeals in cases brought by other aligned organizations.

“The courts remain a frontline in the work to ensure the American people’s rights are protected and that when the Trump-Vance administration abuses its power, it is held accountable. At this time when some of the most consequential decisions regarding individual rights, our Constitution, the power of federal and state governments, and the role of the courts will be decided in the courts, including at the U.S. Supreme Court, we are incredibly pleased to be building important appellate capacity with a first-in-class team. Our message to the American people remains: we are battle-tested and ready, and will be in all courts at all times to protect your rights,” said Skye Perryman, President & CEO of Democracy Forward. 

Today’s announcement comes after Democracy Forward has made a series of high-profile hires. The organization has recently announced that a number of attorneys, nationally recognized for their appellate expertise, have joined its ranks from previous posts in senior government positions and private practice. Those include: Legal Director Brian Netter, who most recently served as Deputy Assistant Attorney General at the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and previously was a partner at Mayer Brown where he co-chaired, among other things, the firm’s appellate and Supreme Court practice; Senior Legal Advisor Paul R.Q. Wolfson, who most recently served as Deputy Associate Attorney General at DOJ and whose career also includes practicing in the Office of Solicitor General where he appeared regularly before the U.S. Supreme Court, and co-chairing the Appellate and Supreme Court Litigation practice group at WilmerHale; Senior Legal Advisor Ayesha Khan, a seasoned Supreme Court and appellate litigator who, among other positions, previously served as a Deputy Chief in the Appellate Section of the Civil Rights Division at DOJ and was most recently a partner at Potomac Law Group; Senior Legal Advisor Steven Bressler, who most recently served as Deputy General Counsel for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), where he led all appellate, amicus, and defensive litigation work; and Senior Counsel Joshua Salzman, who most recently served as an Assistant Director with the Civil Division’s Appellate Staff at DOJ and was previously a member of the Appellate and Supreme Court Litigation practice group at WilmerHale. 

Democracy Forward’s appellate practice is expected to include more than a dozen seasoned litigators with appellate and Supreme Court expertise, building on the organization’s robust bench of more than 65 attorneys. 

Since Inauguration, Democracy Forward has served as a critical bulwark against the unconstitutional actions that we are seeing the Trump-Vance administration take, filing more than 85 legal actions, launching over 100 investigations, and securing multiple significant victories that directly protect Americans from harmful policies. Democracy Forward litigates cases at all  levels from federal district courts to the U.S. Supreme Court as well as in state and local courts across the nation. A number of cases being litigated by Democracy Forward have already reached the Supreme Court through its emergency docket and many others are being litigated in the courts of appeals.  

Through its litigation docket, strategic communications program, and policy engagement, Democracy Forward is protecting the American people from harmful and unlawful federal executive action, including securing multiple nationwide court orders that have, among other things, blocked several freezes on funding and essential services, protected religious liberty and press freedom, and preserved federal agencies and offices. It has filed cases challenging attempts to undermine public education, health care access, and due process, while also continuing its work in states and local communities. 

Democracy Forward has scaled its operations dramatically since 2021, building a deep bench that includes new team members as the demand for its work has continued to grow. Recent hires have included former top DOJ officials, former DOJ trial and appellate attorneys, and former CFPB officials as well as top plaintiffs and defense attorneys from private practice.

In addition to scaling its own operations, Democracy Forward launched Democracy 2025, a coalition that is now more than 550 organizations strong, to ensure swift legal challenges and responses to governmental actions that threaten people and our democracy. Democracy 2025 and its legal resource center have provided needed resources for pro-democracy groups across civil society as well as state and local communities. The network, which has been featured prominently in national and international media, is incubating and implementing legal strategies across more than 15 subject-matter working groups and an active steering committee, and plans to soon offer more appellate support to its coalition members. 

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Democracy Forward Foundation is a national legal organization that advances democracy and social progress through litigation, policy, public education, and regulatory engagement. For more information, please visit www.democracyforward.org.