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John Graubert

John Graubert has more than 40 years of experience in a wide range of complex antitrust and consumer law matters. He has handled investigations and litigation in industries including pharmaceuticals, manufacturing, food and dietary supplements, fintech, online commerce, and a variety of other consumer products and services. His antitrust work has addressed monopolization and exclusionary conduct, agreements, distribution issues, the Robinson-Patman Act and mergers, among other issues. In consumer protection cases, he has defended companies accused of deceptive or unfair conduct under the FTC Act, ROSCA, Made in USA rules, endorsement and testimonial guides and guides for environmental marketing, and in actions brought by State Attorneys General.

From 1998 to 2008, John served as Deputy General Counsel and Principal Deputy General Counsel (including several stints as Acting General Counsel) at the Federal Trade Commission. In that position, John managed all litigation, legal counsel, policy studies, and administrative functions within the Office of General Counsel. He also advised the Commission and agency staff on antitrust and consumer protection matters and administrative law. He was involved in dozens of litigated matters for the Commission, including FTC v. Swedish Match, et al. (D.D.C. 2000) and FTC v. Schering-Plough, et al. (11th Cir. 2005), and received the A. Leon Higginbotham Award and the Award for Distinguished Service.

John is the former co-chair of the firm’s Advertising and Consumer Protection Practice Group and an Adjunct Professor at the Georgetown University Law Center, most recently teaching Global Competition Law and Policy.

On June 29, 2026, in a 6-3 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court held that (1) the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) statutory “for‑cause” removal protection for Commissioners violates the Constitution’s separation of powers and (2) President Trump lawfully removed Rebecca Slaughter from the FTC. The Court concluded that because FTC Commissioners

Continue Reading Supreme Court Holds FTC Removal Protections Unconstitutional