Mr. Stephen Merrill Ruckman

Stephen Ruckman represents clients in federal and state investigations and enforcement actions, with a particular focus on matters involving privacy, cyber risk, data security, telecommunications, and technology regulation. His background includes significant time in government, both at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Maryland Office of the Attorney General, giving him a practical understanding of how federal regulators and state attorneys general approach enforcement.At the FCC, Stephen served as senior policy advisor in the Enforcement Bureau, where he led efforts to modernize the commission’s enforcement of online privacy protections and coordinated inter-agency and state-federal enforcement efforts. At the Maryland Office of the Attorney General, he served as the first director of the state’s first Internet Privacy and Safety Unit, overseeing multistate investigations on behalf of state attorneys general into internet privacy and data security. He also litigated constitutional matters on behalf of Maryland in state and federal courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court, and briefed and argued criminal appeals before state appellate courts.Stephen also draws on five years as senior advisor to the president for policy at Johns Hopkins University, where he led the university’s policy planning team and co-authored or revised university-wide policies on data retention, intellectual property, open access, online privacy, and discrimination and harassment.His appellate work defending the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act received the 2012 Supreme Court Best Brief Award from the National Association of Attorneys General. Stephen served as a law clerk to the Honorable Catherine C. Blake of the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland and as a Supreme Court fellow for the National Association of Attorneys General.ConcentrationsFederal and state investigations, enforcement actions, and regulatory defensePrivacy law, data security, and cyber risk complianceTelecommunications and technology regulation, including FCC enforcement mattersState attorneys general multistate investigations and state-federal enforcement coordinationConstitutional litigation and appellate advocacy, including U.S. Supreme Court mattersUniversity and institutional policy development, including data retention, intellectual property, and online privacy policiesJudicial ClerkshipsHon. A. Craig Blakely, U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, 2008-2009Recognition & LeadershipAwards & AccoladesRecipient, Supreme Court Best Brief Award, National Association of Attorneys General, 2012