Avery Ranum is a litigation fellow at Pacific Legal Foundation. He has long been passionate about constitutional law and individual rights. After studying political science in college and interning at the Independence Institute, a public policy think tank in Denver, Avery decided to attend law school to defend constitutional rights as a lawyer. Serving as a summer law clerk at PLF in 2022 cemented his desire both to work in public interest constitutional litigation and to return to PLF after graduating from law school.
A Colorado native, Avery graduated with a B.A. in political science from Colorado State University. He then received his J.D. from the George Washington University Law School with highest honors and as a member of the Order of the Coif. While in law school, he was an articles editor on the George Washington Law Review and a member of the GW Moot Court Board. He was also a semi-finalist in the Van Vleck Constitutional Law Moot Court Competition. Upon graduating from GW Law, he received the Willard Waddington Gatchell Award and the Imogen Williford Constitutional Law Award.
In addition to spending a summer as a law clerk at PLF, Avery served as a judicial intern to Magistrate Judge G. Michael Harvey on the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia while in law school. After his fellowship at PLF, he will return to serve as a law clerk to Judge Harvey for 2025-26.
Outside of the law, Avery’s interests include playing guitar and watching historical movies and TV shows.