WASHINGTON – Alliance Defending Freedom CEO, President, and Chief Counsel Kristen Waggoner announced Thursday that Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost will join ADF as Vice President of Strategic Research and Innovation.
ADF is the world’s largest legal organization committed to advancing every person’s God-given right to live and speak the truth. With litigation and public policy spanning six continents, ADF fights in the most consequential legal and cultural battlegrounds of our time—preserving free speech, religious liberty, the sanctity of life, marriage and family, and parental rights. Together with its allies and attorney network of over 5,000, ADF works to ensure that all might be free.
In the U.S. alone, ADF has won 18 cases at the U.S. Supreme Court in the past 15 years, including Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the landmark decision that overturned Roe v. Wade, as well as multiple victories securing every American’s right to speak freely without government punishment.
Globally, ADF operates in more than 80 countries and has prevailed before some of the most significant international tribunals. Current high-profile cases include the defense of British veteran Adam Smith-Connor, Finnish parliamentarian Päivi Räsänen, and Canadian advocate “Billboard Chris.” ADF is also supporting X in its historic challenge to the European Union’s global censorship law, the Digital Services Act.
Described by The Washington Post as a “legal powerhouse,” ADF is privileged to be the go-to legal expert in the country for preserving freedom at both the state and national level.
Yost brings an exceptional depth of experience to ADF. He has served as Ohio’s 51st Attorney General for seven years, leading one of the most active and consequential state AG offices in the nation. Before that, he served two terms as Ohio Auditor of State, where he exposed corruption and identified hundreds of millions of dollars in government savings. He also served as Delaware County’s elected prosecuting attorney and built a distinguished private legal career. A prolific legal thinker and communicator, Yost has been published in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and National Review, and has appeared regularly on Fox News and CNN.
“We are honored to welcome Attorney General Yost to ADF at this defining moment,” said Waggoner. “General Yost is a proven, bold advocate of First Amendment freedoms who brings decades of government, policy, and litigation experience to the fight for truth—in the courtroom and the public square. As censorship accelerates and God-given rights face unprecedented attack, ADF is advancing on new fronts, and we are fortunate to have a leader of General Yost’s stature and conviction standing with us. He doesn’t just understand these issues—he has spent his career fighting for them.”
Yost expressed deep enthusiasm for joining an organization he described as essential to the future of American freedom.
“This is a moment of unprecedented change and uncertainty, and the stakes for our foundational freedoms could not be higher,” said Yost. “ADF isn’t just responding to these threats—it’s leading the charge. I’ve been passionate about religious liberty, free speech, parental rights, and human dignity for a long time, and to now bring my legal and advocacy skills to bear alongside the best constitutional lawyers in the world is an extraordinary opportunity. I’m honored to join this renowned organization.”
In his new role, Yost will focus on expanding ADF’s strategic research capabilities and developing innovative approaches to advancing freedom globally — building on ADF’s record of sustained legal excellence and growing impact across the country and around the world.
Alliance Defending Freedom is an alliance-building, non-profit legal organization committed to protecting religious freedom, free speech, parental rights, and the sanctity of life.
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