Terrell McSweeny Confirmed as Fifth FTC Commissioner
Client Alert | 1 min read | 04.10.14
In 95-1 vote yesterday, the U.S. Senate confirmed President Obama's nomination of Terrell McSweeny as the fifth commissioner at the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). McSweeny's confirmation—almost ten months after she was first nominated—fills the vacancy that was created when former Chairman Jon Leibowitz stepped down in February of 2013.
McSweeny's confirmation is significant in that it restores the Democrat's 3-2 majority on the Commission. McSweeny joins Chairwoman Edith Ramirez and Julie Brill in the majority; Maureen Ohlhausen and Joshua Wright are the two Republican Commissioners. Prior to McSweeny's confirmation, in the case of 2-2 tie, the FTC would decline to intervene.
Prior to her nomination, McSweeny worked with Vice President Biden between 2005 and 2012 in various roles, including as his deputy chief of staff, as counsel on the Senate Judiciary Committee, and as his domestic policy advisor. More recently, McSweeny served as senior counsel of competition policy in the Antitrust Division at the Department of Justice.
McSweeny brings expertise in a variety of industries, including health insurance, health care, consumer products and a wide range of policy issues. During her September 2013 confirmation hearings, McSweeny vowed to protect the middle class through competition and consumer protection enforcement, including privacy regulations. Among other things, McSweeny discussed the need to protect children's privacy, the rapidly evolving mobile technology landscape, and the necessity for public education with respect to online data collection.
McSweeny is a graduate of Harvard University and Georgetown University Law School.
Insights
Client Alert | 3 min read | 03.12.26
DOJ Releases First-Ever Department-Wide Corporate Enforcement and Voluntary Self-Disclosure Policy
On March 10, 2026, the Department of Justice released the first-ever Department-wide Corporate Enforcement and Voluntary Self-Disclosure Policy (the “Department-wide CEP” or “Policy”), which applies to all non-antitrust corporate criminal cases across the Department. The new policy has been anticipated since December 2025, when Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche announced the Department’s plans to release a new, single corporate enforcement policy for all criminal matters. According to the Department, the new policy is designed to “help ensure consistency across the Department” and “transparently describe the Department’s policies and decisionmaking.”
Client Alert | 3 min read | 03.12.26
Client Alert | 2 min read | 03.11.26
