ACLJ Senior Counsel Biographies

Robert W. "Skip" Ash

David French

CeCe Heil

James "Jim" M. Henderson Sr.

Francis "Frank" J. Manion

Colby M. May

Stuart J. Roth

Walter M. Weber 

Robert W. "Skip" Ash is the ACLJ's Senior Litigation Counsel for National Security Law. Emphasizing in national security law and First Amendment Law, Ash is a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy and served 22 years on active duty as a U.S. Army officer which included serving as a military strategist for the Secretary of Defense in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Strategy and Plans in the Pentagon. 

A graduate of Regent University School of Law, Ash also serves as a member of the faculties of the School of Law and the Robertson School of Government at Regent where he teaches courses on national security law, international law, First Amendment law and legal research.

David French is a Senior Counsel for the ACLJ. A Kentucky native, David is a 1994 graduate of Harvard Law School in Cambridge, Mass., and a 1991 graduate of Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tenn. 

Before coming to the ACLJ, David has been a commercial litigation partner for a large law firm, taught at Cornell Law School and served as president of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE). He is the author of multiple books, including A Season for Justice: Defending the Rights of the Christian Home, Church, and School and Home and Away: The Story of Family in a Time of War. David is a regular contributor to National Review Online and a columnist for Patheos.

French is also a Captain in the United States Army Reserve, joining the USAR in April 2006. He is currently a Trial Counsel for the 139th Legal Support Organization, Legal Command, in Nashville, Tenn. From October 2007 to September 2008 CPT French served as Squadron Judge Advocate for the 2d Squadron, 3d Armored Cavalry Regiment in Diyala Province, Iraq, where he was awarded the Bronze Star at the conclusion of his tour.

CeCe Heil is a Senior Counsel specializing in public policy and global legal matters including the United Nations. She heads a team of lawyers handling cases in defense of life, protection of U.S. national security interests and dealing with Islamic extremism. 

Before joining the ACLJ, Heil worked in private practice in Missouri and Tennessee serving as counsel to many internationally recognized clients and is on the board of several national ministries. She is a recognized leader in her work to have pro-family, pro-life and pro-free enterprise policies enacted, including being a candidate for Congress. Her service and knowledge as a Constitutional scholar earned her the support of Sarah Palin and was one of a handful of candidates named as a "Mama Grizzly" by the former Alaska Governor. 

Heil is a 1992 graduate of Regent University School of Law. She is admitted to practice in California, Missouri and Tennessee.

James "Jim" M. Henderson Sr. is Senior Counsel of the ACLJ in the Washington, D.C. office. Henderson focuses on federal civil rights and constitutional law and holds a law degree from the Law School at St. Louis University where he served as Managing Editor of the St. Louis University Public Law Review. 

With extensive experience working in the public interest legal arena, Henderson has served as co-counsel in numerous cases before the Supreme Court of the United States, including a successful challenge on behalf of teenage students who were restricted from participating in political campaigns by the Campaign Finance Reform Law. 

Henderson emphasizes in First Amendment law involving the free exercise of religion and freedom of speech.

Francis "Frank" J. Manion is Senior Counsel with the ACLJ who emphasizes First Amendment law and pro-life legal matters before state and federal courts. 

A 1980 graduate of Seton Hall School of Law, Manion honed his litigation skills with more than 15 years of experience as a trial attorney in private law firms where he served as trial counsel on behalf of pro-life demonstrators. He joined the ACLJ in 1996 and emphasizes protecting constitutional rights in the public school, the work environment and the public arena. 

Manion also defends the public displays of the Ten Commandments and other historic displays that are part of our nation's heritage. He also focuses on safeguarding the rights of medical personnel who are often required by employers to violate their consciences and religious beliefs by participating in pregnancy-ending procedures.

Colby M. May is Senior Counsel and Director of the ACLJ's Washington, D.C., Office. May represents members of the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate on legislative initiatives involving national security, abortion, marriage and pornography. With the ACLJ since 1994, May emphasizes federal litigation, regulatory proceedings, communications and technology, nonprofit tax issues and First Amendment law. 

May - a graduate of the George Mason University School of Law - has argued, participated in or acted as amici curiae counsel in several landmark cases including Branch Ministries, Inc. v. Richardson, Santa Fe Independent School District v. Doe, Boy Scouts of America v. Dale, National Interfaith Cable v. FCC, and National Endowment for the Arts v. Finley. 



He also serves on the board of directors of many civic organizations including the Enterprise Development International, Inc., a public charity fostering development in emerging countries, and Enough is Enough!, a pro-family organization working to make the Internet safe for children.

Stuart J. Roth serves as Senior Counsel to the American Center for Law and Justice and the European Center for Law and Justice. Roth attended law school with Chief Counsel Jay Sekulow and they have practiced law together since 1980. He is a nationally known and recognized constitutional lawyer, and over the years, has appeared on hundreds of national television and radio broadcasts sharing his legal analysis and commentary.

Roth has participated in 12 cases that have been argued before the United States Supreme Court including the landmark decisions in Mergens and Lambs Chapel that altered the landscape of religious liberties litigation. Roth has also been involved in cases before the European Court of Human Rights and the International Criminal Court. 

Roth has an extensive legal background in the areas of tax, corporate and civil litigation and has also served as General Counsel to numerous corporate entities. He is a graduate of Florida State University and Mercer University School of Law.

Walter M. Weber is Senior Litigation Counsel for the ACLJ in the Washington, D.C. office. A highly regarded legal writer, Weber received his bachelor’s degree from Princeton University and his law degree from Yale Law School. 

Weber emphasizes First Amendment law and has written briefs in many landmark cases at the Supreme Court including NOW v. Scheidler, Lamb's Chapel v. Center Moriches School District and Bray v. Alexandria Women's Health Clinic. 

Weber has argued more than a dozen times in appeals before federal and state courts. Prior to joining the ACLJ, Weber served as a staff attorney with the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights.

-30-