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Andrew N. Ferguson
American lawyer, politician (born 1986) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Andrew N. Ferguson (born June 17, 1986) is an American lawyer and government official serving as the 57th chairman of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) since January 2025. A member of the Republican Party, he has served as an FTC commissioner since 2024.[1] He previously served as solicitor general of Virginia from 2022 to 2024.
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Early life and education
Ferguson was born on June 17, 1986, in Harrisonburg, Virginia,[2] and grew up in the surrounding areas of Rockingham County.[3][4] His father was an academic vice president at Bridgewater College, and his mother was a professor of accounting at James Madison University.[4]
After graduating from Eastern Mennonite School in 2005, Ferguson studied history at the University of Virginia, graduating in 2009 with a Bachelor of Arts with highest distinction.[4] He then attended the William & Mary Law School for one year before transferring to the University of Virginia School of Law, where he was an articles editor of the Virginia Law Review. He graduated in 2012 with a Juris Doctor.[3]
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Legal career
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After law school, Ferguson was a law clerk to judge Karen L. Henderson of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. He practiced antitrust law at the law firms Covington & Burling, Bancroft PLLC, and Sidley Austin, where he represented clients in private antitrust litigation and before the Federal Trade Commission and United States Department of Justice.[3] From 2016 to 2017, he clerked for Justice Clarence Thomas of the U.S. Supreme Court.[3]
Ferguson then served as chief counsel for nominations and the constitution to then chairman of the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary, Lindsey Graham, and as senior special counsel to then-judiciary committee chairman Chuck Grassley.[3] He served as chief counsel to Mitch McConnell from 2019 until 2021.[3] In that role, he was leader McConnell's chief legal advisor and judicial confirmation strategist.[3]
In January 2022, Ferguson was selected by then attorney general of Virginia-elect Jason Miyares as the solicitor general.[5] He succeeded Michelle Kallen the following month.[6] He oversaw the appellate litigation of Virginia and its agencies; represented Virginia before the Supreme Court of the United States, the Supreme Court of Virginia and the federal courts of appeals; and defended Virginia's statutes and regulations from constitutional challenge.[3]
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Federal Trade Commission
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Appointment
A Republican, Ferguson was nominated by U.S. president Joe Biden in July 2023 to serve as a member of the Federal Trade Commission.[7] Ferguson's nomination was reported favorably by the United States Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation on October 18, 2023, by voice vote.[8] His nomination was confirmed by the full U.S. Senate by voice vote on March 7, 2024.[9]
Commissioner
In June 2024, Ferguson, dissented when the Commission issued a final rule banning non-compete clauses in most employment contracts.[10][11] In August 2024, U.S. District Judge Ada Brown issued a nationwide injunction prohibiting enforcement of the rule.[12]
In September 2024, Ferguson dissented when the Commission conditioned approval of the $53 billion acquisition of Hess Corporation by Chevron Corporation upon the prohibition of John B. Hess from the company's board.[13][14]
In October 2024, Ferguson argued in a partial dissent from a disqualification motion that the removal protections provided to the commission's administrative law judges are unconstitutional.[15][16]
Chairman
In January 2025, Ferguson was chosen by Donald Trump to chair the FTC, replacing Lina Khan, officially taking up the position following the President's inauguration.[17] His position as chairman did not need to be confirmed by the Senate, since he was already confirmed to serve on the Commission.[1] He has stated intentions to ease his predecessor's scrutiny of business mergers and acquisitions, while continuing critical oversight of big tech platforms.[18]
In January 2025, the FTC under Ferguson closed public comment on surveillance pricing, a price altering tool some online retailers like Amazon have been accused of using. In surveillance pricing, companies use consumers' personal information such as location and web usage to adjust the price for each individual.[19] This occurred after the FTC had found in an earlier study that companies have indeed used consumer data to adjust and target prices.[20]
In June 2025, the FTC under Ferguson initiated enforcement actions targeting major social media companies to limit the collection and use of personal data from children under 13, citing concerns over privacy and online safety.[21]
According to Bloomberg, despite expectations to ease business restrictions, Ferguson has kept aggressive cases against Meta Platforms and Amazon, as well as continuing Biden-era investigations of Microsoft.[22]
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References
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