The Federalist Society, a powerhouse in shaping conversations and discourse surrounding the federal judiciary, has named Sheldon Gilbert as its new president and CEO.
Gilbert, currently Walmart’s senior lead counsel for strategic initiatives, will succeed Eugene Meyer, who has led the conservative legal group since its founding 42 years ago, according to an announcement on Saturday. He will become only the second CEO in the nonpartisan legal-centric group’s 42-year history.
New CEO of @FedSoc is Sheldon Gilbert, a current Walmart executive who has argued nearly 100 cases at the U.S. Supreme Court.
— Rob Bluey (@RobertBluey) December 14, 2024
“Sheldon is both a thinker and a doer,” said Leonard Leo, co-chairman of the Federalist Society board.
Full bio: https://t.co/xNG7bwxFzZ pic.twitter.com/0sbsPjy3au
Gilbert’s appointment signals a new era for the group, whose board co-chairman, Leonard Leo, has had a profound influence on the federal judiciary. Particularly, during President-elect Donald Trump’s first administration, three Supreme Court justices — Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett — were confirmed with Leo’s input.
Leo also played a vital role in selecting Gilbert, according to sources familiar with the process.
“Sheldon is both a thinker and a doer,” Leo said. “His unmatched strategic sense, entrepreneurial mindset, leadership qualities, and vision make him uniquely qualified for leading the generational change the Society is poised to begin while preserving the Society’s core assets and commitments.”
Gilbert brings a diverse legal background to the role. Born in a Utah coal mining town and raised in Idaho, he graduated from the University of Utah and the George Washington University Law School. He has served in various roles, including as a fellow at the National Constitution Center and director of the Institute for Justice’s Center for Judicial Engagement.
Praise for Gilbert’s selection has poured in from across the legal community. Constitutional lawyer Casey Mattox called him “a brilliant legal mind and strategist” and “an outstanding choice.” University of California, Berkeley School of Law Professor Orin Kerr noted Gilbert’s lack of political affiliations often associated with finalists but described him as a “low-key law nerd type, which is all for the good.”
Meyer, who announced his intention to retire earlier this year, welcomed the transition in a statement to members earlier this year.
“The Society is doing well, and this transition … will lead to even better things ahead,” Meyers said in June.
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Under Gilbert’s leadership, the Federalist Society is expected to continue its influential role in bringing together some of the nation’s top legal minds for discourse and debate over the most pressing matters facing the federal judiciary.
While the group often holds debates about cases pending before the Supreme Court or elsewhere in lower courts, the Federalist Society does not take positions or leanings on policy or cases before the courts.