Verified profile

Stephen J. Obermeier

Litigation and Appellate Practice at Wiley Rein LLP

Stephen J. Obermeier's profile photo
LocationWashingtonDistrict of Columbia, United States
Current rolePartner, Litigation and Appellate Practice Wiley Rein LLP · since Jan 2015
Government service3yrsU.S. Attorney’s Office · Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit

About

Stephen represents corporations, financial institutions, national political organizations, political campaigns, nonprofits, trade associations, and individuals in a wide range of domestic and international disputes involving the most sensitive and high-profile commercial, political, jurisdictional, and criminal issues. He has successfully litigated a variety of highly complex commercial, regulatory, and election law cases in district and appellate courts throughout the country, including cases under the False Claims Act (FCA), the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO), the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA), the Administrative Procedure Act (APA), the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA), the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA), and the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA). He also has experience conducting internal investigations for corporate clients in response to government allegations of misconduct. Stephen is a member of the firm’s Management Committee and previously served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the civil section in the Eastern District of Virginia.

Roles

Jan 2015–Present
Current role

Partner, Litigation and Appellate Practice

Wiley Rein LLP

Washington, District of Columbia

Civil LitigationHearings and AppealsLegal InvestigatorLitigation Support SpecialistAppellate Litigation
May 2013–Dec 2014
Former role

Attorney, Litigation and Appellate Practice

Wiley Rein LLP

Washington, District of Columbia

AttorneyHearings and AppealsAppellate Litigation
Dec 2010–Apr 2013
Former role

Assistant United States Attorney

U.S. Attorney’s Office

(appointed)Virginia Eastern

Civil LitigationFederal GovernmentCriminal LawAppellate Litigation
Oct 2007–Nov 2010
Former role

Attorney

Wiley Rein LLP

Washington | Batimore, District of Columbia

Legal Officers and Practitioners
Aug 2006–Jul 2007
Former role

Law Clerk

Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit

(appointed)District of Columbia

Law ClerkResearchLegal Assistance

Served as judicial law clerk to the Honorable Karen LeCraft Henderson, researching and drafting opinions, orders, and bench memoranda.

Representative matters

EXPERIENCE

May 2025

Successfully represented a lobbying firm in a high-profile, international CFAA and civil RICO case worth millions of dollars in damages. Successfully represented a broadcasting company in a major antitrust suit involving the Federal Communication Commission’s ownership and control regulations. Represent large government contractors in a multimillion-dollar Anti-Terrorism Act litigation. Represent firearms manufacturers and trade associations in bet-the-company APA litigation. Represent national political organizations in election and campaign finance disputes. Represent a nonprofit in a complex campaign finance dispute under FECA. Successfully obtained a preliminary injunction for a Georgia gubernatorial candidate against an unconstitutional state campaign finance law. Successfully defended a multimillion-dollar TCPA case brought against a political candidate and his campaign. Represent a mutual bank in federal court litigation to defend against a hostile takeover attempt. Represent a telecommunications company in a multibillion-dollar FCA litigation. Represent public interest groups and other clients seeking to vindicate important constitutional interests, including First and Second Amendment interests, before federal appellate courts and the Supreme Court of the United States.

Recognition

Honors

Litigation Star

Benchmark Litigation guide

May 2025

Included in Benchmark Litigation guide as a "Litigation Star" (2024-2025)

America’s Leading Lawyers for Business

Chambers USA

January 2024

Listed by Chambers USA as one of “America’s Leading Lawyers for Business” in Litigation: General Commercial (2022-2024) and Political Law (2022-2024)

Recommended Lawyer

The Legal 500 US

January 2024

Recognized by The Legal 500 US as a "Recommended Lawyer" in Appellate: Court of Appeal (2020-2024)

Washington’s Top Lawyers

Washingtonian magazine

January 2024

Named one of “Washington’s Top Lawyers” by Washingtonian magazine (2024)

Publications & speeches

6th Circ. Ruling Paves Path Out Of Loper Bright 'Twilight Zone'

Law360

March 2025

Link

Executive Order Signals Rollback of Biden-Era Firearms Regulations and Overhaul of Second Amendment Policy at DOJ

Wiley.law

February 2025

On Friday, February 7, President Trump issued a first-of-its-kind Executive Order prioritizing the Second Amendment as “an indispensable safeguard of security and liberty.” The order is the first step in what could be a broad reversal of the Biden Administration’s firearms policies.

Link

AG Bondi Refocuses DOJ Priorities in New Guidance Documents

Wiley.law

February 2025

On February 5, newly confirmed Attorney General Pam Bondi issued a series of guidance documents refocusing U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) priorities for the new Administration.

Link

Loper Bright’s Potential Effects on “Chevron-Like” Deference Doctrines

Wiley.law

October 2024

On June 28, 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court sent shockwaves across the administrative law landscape when it handed down Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo, overruling the 40-year-old Chevron doctrine and its two-step framework that required courts to defer to agency interpretations of ambiguous statutes.

Link

Appeals Court Rules Against ATF’s Use of “Vague” and “Amorphous” Factors to Classify Firearms

Wiley.law

August 2024

In a case argued by Wiley attorneys on behalf of the Firearms Regulatory Accountability Coalition (FRAC), SB Tactical, B&T USA, and Richard Cicero, the Eighth Circuit issued a 2-1 opinion in FRAC v. Garland finding that the coalition plaintiffs were “likely to succeed on the merits” of their Administrative Procedure Act (APA) challenge to a rule issued by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

Link

Digital Currency and National Security Implications

Wiley Connected — PODCAST

March 2022

Link

Digital Currency and National Security Implications

2022 Wiley National Security Series — Webinar

March 2022

Link

Federal Consumer Protection Priorities in 2021: Reading the Tea Leaves

Wiley.law — Webinar

December 2020

Link

Regulatory and Enforcement Priorities for Marketplace Lending During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Beyond

Wiley.law — Webinar

April 2020

Link

Commercial Free Speech

The Federalist Society — Washington, DC

September 2017