---
Title: Sean Cooksey
Description:
Author: Cody L Hall
tags: []
Source:
Entity Type: Person
---
# Sean Cooksey
Trump appointed in 2020. Was pivotal in 2024 campaign finance law change that allows outside organizations to be able to use 3rd parties for things like canvassing door-to-door and not have to report tot he [[FEC]] about money spent on that. 
## Identifiers

- **Legal Name:** Sean Joseph Cooksey
    
- **Known Aliases:** Sean J. Cooksey
    
- **Date of Birth:** [Unknown; not publicly available]
    
- **Place of Birth:** Missouri (inferred from biography)[rules.senate](https://www.rules.senate.gov/download/bio_cooksey1)​
    

## Basic Information

- **Citizenship:** United States[wikipedia+1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sean_J._Cooksey)​
    
- **Current Status:** Active
    
- **Primary Residence:** [Not publicly available]
    
- **Professional Status:** Counsel to Vice President [[JD Vance]], Former Chairman, Federal Election Commission[law.uchicago+1](https://www.law.uchicago.edu/news/sean-cooksey-14-and-ben-moss-18-join-office-vice-president)​
    

## Contact & Location

- **Website/LinkedIn:** [Not publicly available; active on Twitter @SeanJCooksey][x](https://x.com/seanjcooksey?lang=en)​
    

## Professional History

|Organization|Role|Start Date|End Date|Notes|
|---|---|---|---|---|
|[[Office of US Vice President]]|Counsel to Vice President|2025-01|Present|Advises VP [[JD Vance]] on legal matters [wikipedia+1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sean_J._Cooksey)​|
|[[Federal Election Commission]]|Chairman/Commissioner|2020-12-14|2025-01-13|Youngest commissioner, Chairman in 2024 [wikipedia+2](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sean_J._Cooksey)​|
|[[U.S. Senate - Sen. Josh Hawley]]|General Counsel|2019|2020|Led work on Judiciary Committee matters [rules.senate+1](https://www.rules.senate.gov/download/bio_cooksey1)​|
|[[U.S. Senate - Sen. Ted Cruz]]|Deputy Chief Counsel|[Pre-2019]|2019|Focus on legal and constitutional issues [rules.senate+1](https://www.rules.senate.gov/download/bio_cooksey1)​|
|[[Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP]]|Litigation Associate|[Pre-2016]|[Pre-2019]|Appeals & constitutional law practice [rules.senate+1](https://www.rules.senate.gov/download/bio_cooksey1)​|
|[[U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit]]|Law Clerk (Judge Jerry E. Smith)|[Year Unknown]|[Year Unknown]|Clerkship experience [rules.senate+1](https://www.rules.senate.gov/download/bio_cooksey1)​|

## Education & Credentials

- **Institution:** Truman State University (B.A., _summa cum laude_)[fec+2](https://www.fec.gov/about/leadership-and-structure/sean-j-cooksey/)​
    
- **Institution:** University of Chicago Law School (J.D., High Honors, Order of the Coif, 2014; Managing Editor, Law Review)[wikipedia+2](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sean_J._Cooksey)​
    
- **Certifications:** [Not publicly listed]
    
- **Bar Admissions:** [Not publicly listed]
    

## Financial Interests

- **Compensation:** Federal government employee; FEC Commissioner salary per federal schedule
    
- **Board Positions:** None publicly listed
    
- **Business Ownership:** None publicly listed
    

## Public Records

- **SEC Disclosures:** FEC appointment disclosures[fec](https://www.fec.gov/about/leadership-and-structure/sean-j-cooksey/)​
    
- **Financial Disclosures:** FEC and government ethics filings while Commissioner
    
- **Property Records:** [Not publicly available]
    
- **Court Records:** [Not publicly available]
    
- **Voter Registration:** [Not publicly listed]
    

## Regulatory & Legal Issues

- No enforcement actions or ethics complaints reported
    
- Resigned from FEC on Jan. 13, 2025[thehill+2](https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/5082926-sean-cooksey-resigns-fec/)​
    

## Political Activity

- **Campaign Contributions:** None publicly significant
    
- **Lobbying Disclosure:** None listed
    
- **Political Affiliations:** Republican, appointee of President [[Donald J. Trump]][thehill+1](https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/5082926-sean-cooksey-resigns-fec/)​
    

## Media Coverage

- Interviewed in major outlets including The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Politico, and Fox News on campaign finance and FEC reforms in 2024[fec](https://www.fec.gov/about/leadership-and-structure/sean-j-cooksey/)​
    
- Coverage of FEC resignation and agency reforms, 2025[law.uchicago+1](https://www.law.uchicago.edu/news/sean-cooksey-14-and-ben-moss-18-join-office-vice-president)​
    
- Frequent commentator and policy thought leader on election law and internet regulation[wikipedia+1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sean_J._Cooksey)​
    

## Relationships

- **Professional Associates:** [[JD Vance]] (Vice President, current supervisor); [[Josh Hawley]], [[Ted Cruz]] (prior supervisors)
    
- **Family:** [Not publicly disclosed]
    
- **Professional Associates:** Connected to [[Federal Election Commission]], [[U.S. Senate]], [[Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP]]
    

## Notes & Observations

- Known for advocating deregulation in campaign finance and defending internet and press exemptions in election law[wikipedia+1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sean_J._Cooksey)​
    
- Led FEC through several high-profile reforms and FOIA settlements[fec+1](https://www.fec.gov/about/leadership-and-structure/sean-j-cooksey/)​
    
- Transitioned from agency leadership to executive branch legal counsel in 2025[law.uchicago](https://www.law.uchicago.edu/news/sean-cooksey-14-and-ben-moss-18-join-office-vice-president)​
    
- Maintains active public presence via social media and public speaking[x+1](https://x.com/seanjcooksey?lang=en)​
    

## Tags

#individual #law #government #election-law #executive-branch #federal-regulation

1. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sean_J._Cooksey](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sean_J._Cooksey)
2. [https://fedsoc.org/bio/sean-cooksey](https://fedsoc.org/bio/sean-cooksey)
3. [https://x.com/seanjcooksey?lang=en](https://x.com/seanjcooksey?lang=en)
4. [https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/23217/000002321725000054/cag-20250917xdef14a.htm](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/23217/000002321725000054/cag-20250917xdef14a.htm)
5. [https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1453593/000149315225013361/formdef14a.htm](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1453593/000149315225013361/formdef14a.htm)
6. [https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/2082149/000121390025086573/ea0255951-01.htm](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/2082149/000121390025086573/ea0255951-01.htm)
7. [https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/886206/000088620624000060/fc-20240831x10k.htm](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/886206/000088620624000060/fc-20240831x10k.htm)
8. [https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1431852/000110465925069306/tm2521264d1_6k.htm](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1431852/000110465925069306/tm2521264d1_6k.htm)
9. [https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1385280/000095017025049327/cnk-20250401.htm](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1385280/000095017025049327/cnk-20250401.htm)
10. [https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/885975/000095017025049327/cnk-20250401.htm](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/885975/000095017025049327/cnk-20250401.htm)
11. [https://www.legistorm.com/person/bio/288668/Sean_Joseph_Cooksey.html](https://www.legistorm.com/person/bio/288668/Sean_Joseph_Cooksey.html)
12. [https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/5082926-sean-cooksey-resigns-fec/](https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/5082926-sean-cooksey-resigns-fec/)
13. [https://www.rules.senate.gov/download/bio_cooksey1](https://www.rules.senate.gov/download/bio_cooksey1)
14. [https://www.fec.gov/about/leadership-and-structure/sean-j-cooksey/](https://www.fec.gov/about/leadership-and-structure/sean-j-cooksey/)
15. [https://www.law.uchicago.edu/news/sean-cooksey-14-and-ben-moss-18-join-office-vice-president](https://www.law.uchicago.edu/news/sean-cooksey-14-and-ben-moss-18-join-office-vice-president)
16. [https://www.law.uchicago.edu/news/sean-j-cooksey-14-new-commissioner-federal-election-commission](https://www.law.uchicago.edu/news/sean-j-cooksey-14-new-commissioner-federal-election-commission)
17. [https://x.com/SeanJCooksey/status/1878861272013537548](https://x.com/SeanJCooksey/status/1878861272013537548)
18. [https://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0316598](https://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0316598)
19. [https://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10329-022-01045-6](https://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10329-022-01045-6)
20. [https://trialsjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13063-025-09003-5](https://trialsjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13063-025-09003-5