NCLA Internship Spotlight

David Ahnen

Summer Clerk

Law School: University of Virginia School of Law

Expected Graduation: 2024

Hometown: Arlington, VA

Campus Activities: Federalist Society, Virginia Journal of International Law, Law School Ambassador (school tour guide)

Hobbies: Reading Presidential History, Hiking, Woodworking

What were your duties as an NCLA intern? Primarily conducting assigned research and drafting legal memoranda for staff litigation attorneys.

What did you most enjoy about your internship? Listening to the New Civil Liberty Alliance’s experienced litigation team discuss complex Constitutional and Administrative Law issues during weekly litigation strategy meetings, moots, etc.

What interesting thing(s) did you learn about Administrative Law? I was fascinated by the various litigation strategies that might be utilized to challenge executive agency overreach (e.g., challenging the formation of a rule, leveraging FOIA requests, etc.). Law School focuses a lot on black letter law and social policy implications, so I took a lot from exposure to the practical considerations that practicing attorneys weigh in making decisions throughout the course of litigation.

How might you use what you’ve learned later in your professional career? I expect that much of what I’ve learned about the Administrative State will be useful for the Immigration Law pro-bono in which I am involved.

Any advice for other students who want to intern at NCLA in the future? Each attorney at NCLA is a phenomenal litigator, so, to the extent possible, try to work with each of them on a matter.

Publications:
+ Non-Delegation Doctrine 101

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