Stephen Cobb

Senior Fellow, Inclusive Governance

Presently, Stephen Cobb is an attorney at the law firm of Troutman Sanders LLP where his practice focuses on government investigations, litigation, and election law.

Prior to joining Troutman, Stephen served as Deputy Attorney General of Virginia. As an appointee of Attorney General Mark Herring, Stephen lead the Government Operations and Transactions Division - a team of over 60 attorneys and additional support staff. This Division represents 8 of the 11 Cabinet Secretariats, comprised of over 150 executive agencies, state boards, and authorities, more than 13,000 employees, and with combined budgets of more than $13 billion.

Prior to his appointment as Deputy Attorney General, Stephen served as a Senior Advisor to the Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office. In this role, Stephen Cobb was part of a front office management team advising on intellectual property legislation and policy implementation, and public outreach in areas related to intellectual property and innovation. Appointed by President Obama, Stephen served as a representative of USPTO, an agency with of 13,000 employees with an annual budget of over $3 Billion, and the Department of Commerce within interagency working groups and acted as a liaison to the White House on cross administration initiatives.

Before joining the Department of Commerce, Stephen served as Counsel at the law firm of Miles & Stockbridge P.C. where he represented financial institutions and business entities in a variety of disputes in state and federal courts across the country. Preceding his tenure at Miles, Stephen was a Partner in the law firm of Odin, Feldman, & Pittleman P.C., located in Reston, VA. All told, Stephen has tried approximately 20 cases in state and federal courts across the country and was recognized as a Rising Star by Super Lawyers Magazine in both Washington, D.C. and Virginia.

During his private practice, Stephen also served as General Counsel to the Democratic Party of Virginia, advising the Party and its officials through both Presidential and Gubernatorial election cycles on legal issues pertaining to legislative policy, labor & employment, and political and election law. Additionally, Stephen served as Special Counsel to Rock the Vote, an internationally recognized non-profit devoted to voting rights and engaging youth voters. Before entering private practice, Stephen clerked for the Honorable Barry R. Poretz in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.

Prior to and after obtaining his legal education, Stephen worked on numerous local, state, and national political campaigns and served as a junior associate at one of Washington, D.C.’s premiere public policy firms. As a result of his unique legal and political background, Stephen has appeared regularly on various news programs, including FOX NEWS, FOX Business, and Newsmax, to provide analysis and insight on issues of law, policy, and politics.

Stephen has also served as an Adjunct Law Professor at the George Mason University School of Law, teaching Negotiation and Legal Drafting. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Maryland, College Park and a Juris Doctor from The College of William & Mary School of Law.

The Latest from

Stephen Cobb

Counties and Representation in the Wyoming Legislature
April 5, 2024
Andy Craig, Director of Election Policy
Policy Brief: Ensuring Candidate Safety: Examining the Need for Legislation to Protect Elected Officials and Campaign Workers
February 1, 2024
Madeline Keeter, Senior Director of the Leadership Alliance for a More Perfect Union (LAMP)
The Role of Real Estate in Economic Opportunity for the African American Population
May 5, 2023
George Ferris III, MBA - Fellow for Economic Empowerment
The Conservative Case for Transmission
December 12, 2023
Rainey Center
Free Speech on the Ballot: The Case for Fusion
November 14, 2023
Andy Craig, Director of Election Policy
Proud to stand with Israel
October 26, 2023
Rainey Center
In response to Friday's “Day of Rage,” instead, please commit a defiant Act of Love.
October 16, 2023
J.P. Carroll
Why the ESG Battleground Must Shift From Asset Managers to Proxy Advisors
September 21, 2023
Sarah Hunt
Labeling innovation as 'greenwashing' diminishes the climate fight
September 9, 2023
Sarah Hunt
The Hill - Opinion - For a cleaner energy future, we must embrace small nuclear reactors
July 23, 2023
Kelsey Callahan
Mexico Today - Opinion - Mexico is now the U.S.' top trading partner instead of China - This is worth celebrating
July 28, 2023
J.P. Carroll
The Digital Silk Road or the U.S. Information Superhighway?
August 22, 2023
Bartlett Cleland
Rainey Center files amicus brief in the New Jersey Superior Court Appellate Division, in the case In re Tom Malinowski
July 11, 2023
Rainey Center
The Daily Beast - Opinion - Supreme Court Just Dropped a Big L on Partisan Gerrymandering
June 27, 2023
Andy Craig, Director of Election Policy
The Hill - Opinion - Why they are leaving: the joke about China's Communist Party that hit too close to home
June 28, 2023
Jeremy Hurewitz
The Hill - Opinion - This Independence Day, let’s right the wrongs of ‘Don’t ask, don’t tell’
July 4, 2023
Alex Walton, Kelsey Callahan, and J.P. Carroll
The Joseph Rainey Center for Public Policy Awards U.S. Congressman Patrick McHenry (NC-10) with the 2023 Maverick Award
June 8, 2023
The Joseph Rainey Center for Public Policy Awards U.S. Congressman John Curtis (UT-03) and Senator Thom Tillis (NC) with the 2023 Joseph H. Rainey Empowered Leadership Awards
June 7, 2023
The Joseph Rainey Center for Public Policy Proudly Presents its Civic Excellence Award to Jay Faison
June 6, 2023
The United States Need a Better Energy Grid
May 16, 2023
Sarah E. Hunt, President & Christina Hayes, Executive Director of Americans for a Clean Energy Grid
Five Principles for Faster Vote Counts
May 12, 2023
Andy Craig, Director of Election Policy
Opinion - Unrest in Peru shows why copper should be a critical mineral
March 16, 2023
Sarah E Hunt, J.P. Carroll
Opinion - A new era of relations with China requires a new diplomatic playbook
March 15, 2023
Jeremy Hurewitz
Opinion - COP28 should also be the US-China summit the world needs
March 9, 2023
J.P. Carroll
The Rainey Center on China
March 2, 2023
Rainey Center
Opinion - Existing laws can oversee congressional stock trading - if we use them
February 21, 2023
George Ferris
Opinion – China keeps proving it cannot be trusted on the environment
December 8, 2022
Kelsey Callahan
Opinion – The US must wake up to China's success in the Western Hemisphere
December 8, 2022
J.P. Carroll
Opinion - The Respect for Marriage Act is a victory for human dignity and religious liberty
December 14, 2022
Sarah E. Hunt and Charles T. Moran
Catholic Republicans must denounce Trump's meeting with antisemites
December 1, 2022
J.P. Carroll
Opinion - We can no longer ignore China’s 21st century colonialism
February 21, 2023
Jeremy Hurewitz
Electoral Reform Is a Good Idea. Mandatory Voting Is Not.
January 27, 2023
Andy Craig, Director of Election Policy
Opinion - China's many crises, above and below the surface
January 21, 2023
Jeremy Hurewitz
Opinion - Why China doesn't need balloons to spy on US companies
February 7, 2023
Jeremy Hurewitz
Opinion - Biden's missed moment on climate change and the Latino community
February 8, 2023
Opinion - To rein in ESG and protect investors, follow the Florida model
February 10, 2023
Opinion - Brazil and the US should strengthen energy and climate ties
February 12, 2023
J.P. Carroll
In confronting climate change, championing women is key to everyone’s future prosperity
November 21, 2022
Republican voters support clean energy, from President Hunt and Dr. Dorsey in The Hill
November 3, 2022
Sarah Hunt, Dr. Michael Dorsey
Hydrogen is a key to Utah's future
October 28, 2022
Sarah Hunt, Melissa Ballard, Roxana Bekemohammadi
Litigation does not advance responsible climate solutions, in Bloomberg Law, from CEO Hunt.
October 19, 2022
Sarah Hunt
Thoughts on needing China's help to prevent another pandemic in The Hill from CEO Hunt and Policy Advisor Hurewitz
October 7, 2022
Sarah Hunt and Jeremy Hurewitz
Rainey Center Senior Director Kelsey Callahan Attends Future Investment Initiative 6th Edition in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
October 27, 2022
Legislators must remember that economic policies impact people’s daily realities
October 25, 2022
Protecting Election Security and Integrity in the States
October 20, 2022
Rainey Center
Energy Policy Analyst Callahan Explores Qatar
September 14, 2022
Better Know a LAMPer: Michael Echols
September 1, 2022
Better Know a LAMPer: Johnnie Wamsley
August 31, 2022
Better Know a LAMPer: Jason Brodeur
August 24, 2022
Better Know a LAMPer: Cathy Kipp
August 22, 2022
Better Know a LAMPer: Chris Humphrey
August 19, 2022
Better Know a LAMPer: Kevin Rooney
August 17, 2022
U.S. Revenge from the Shadows: An Interview with Bob Grenier on the Assassination of Ayman Al-Zawahiri
August 8, 2022
Rainey Center
Better Know a LAMPer: Melissa Ballard
August 11, 2022
Rainey Center
Better Know a LAMPer: Daniel Linville
August 9, 2022
Better Know a LAMPer: Caleb Hanna
August 4, 2022
Better Know a LAMPer: Jason Saine
August 3, 2022
Thoughts on Clean Tech, Free Markets, and the Federal Government in The North State Journal from CEO Hunt and NC Rep Saine
August 2, 2022
Sarah Hunt and Jason Saine
The Role of Markets in Creating Economic Opportunity for Black Americans
May 18, 2023
George Ferris III, MBA - Fellow for Economic Empowerment
CEO and President Hunt in Washington Examiner: "We Must Not Repeat Germany's Energy Mistake"
July 7, 2022
Sarah Hunt
Statement from CEO and president of The Joseph Rainey Center for Public Policy, Sarah Hunt on West Virginia v. EPA
June 30, 2022
Rainey Center
The Joseph Rainey Center for Public Policy commemorates Memorial Day
May 30, 2022
Rainey Center
Joseph Rainey Center for Public Policy Celebrates Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month
May 18, 2022
Rainey Center
Joseph Rainey Center for Public Policy Celebrates Advertising Experiment to Increase COVID19 Vaccination Rates
May 2, 2022
Rainey Center
Rainey Center Fireside Chat: Help or Hinder? The Impact of Crypto in the Ukraine Crisis 
March 7, 2022
Rainey Center
Rainey Center Celebrates Black History Month
February 28, 2022
Rainey Center
Putin’s Ukrainian Advances Lay Bare European (dis)Union
February 24, 2022
Robert Dillon and Martin Jirusek
Check Out LAMP Founders Council Member Del. Daniel Linville's Opinion Piece in WV News
January 13, 2022
Read CEO & President Sarah Hunt and Fellow Jeremy Hurewitz
February 21, 2022
Sarah Hunt and Jeremy Hurewitz
Senior Fellow Veronika Velch Sheds Light on Living Conditions in the Ukraine
February 18, 2022
Veronika Velch
Reports Show Competition Useful Tool In Reducing Power Sector Carbon Emissions
February 14, 2022
Robert Dillon
Russian Aggression and the West: A Struggle for Control
February 22, 2022
Justen Keating
The Joseph H. Rainey Room Unveiled at the U.S. Capitol
February 3, 2022
Rainey Center
Rainey Center CEO & President Sarah Hunt Joined Round Table on Bears Ears National Monument
December 1, 2021
Rainey Center
Rainey Center Launches Podcast Series “Policy for the People”
September 2, 2021
Rainey Center
National Poll Shows Strong Conservative and Young Voter Support for Federal Investment in Clean Energy Technology
July 30, 2021
Rainey Center
The Emerging Republican Climate Policy Framework
June 10, 2021
Sarah Hunt
Policy Advisor Jeremy Hurewitz on Holding China Accountable for COVID-19 Origins
June 3, 2021
Jeremy Hurewitz
Americans should hope Peru elects Keiko Fujimori according to Fellow JP Carroll
June 6, 2021
J.P. Carroll
Fellow JP Carroll calls on Florida GOP to support the SECURE Act
May 25, 2021
J.P. Carroll
Guest Comment: Holding China Accountable in a Bi-Partisan Way
May 24, 2021
Jeremy Hurewitz
Fellow JP Carroll on the Necessity of US Representation to the Organization of American States
May 9, 2021
J.P. Carroll
On Earth Day, Climate Change Isn’t the Problem
April 22, 2021
Sarah Hunt
Bishop Garrison appears on Hill.TV to discuss
COMMENTARY: Western States Lead With a Balanced Energy Policy
COMMENTARY: I’ve Been Part of the Problem: Politicizing General Officer Influence
Bishop M. Garrison J.D. '10 Honored with Taylor Reveley Award
POLITICO Playbook's Birthday of the Day: Sarah Hunt
Public Opinion on Nuclear Energy
June 12, 2018
David Gargaro
COMMENTARY: A call to my fellow Dems — how to understand a Trump voter's 'opportunity'
COMMENTARY: We’ve Been Here Before: Discriminating Against Those Who Volunteer to Serve
Sarah Hunt Speaks at America's Energy Future Panel
David Gargaro Joins Rainey Center as an Associate Fellow for Energy
COMMENTARY: Trump Can't Save Coal, Experts Say
COMMENTARY: Energy Policy Is the 'Canary in the Coal Mine' of Executive Power Expansion
Sarah Rumpf Joins Rainey Center as Communications Director
COMMENTARY: The US Has Lost Its Footing, and Technology Is Largely to Blame
Bishop Garrison Appears on i24 News on Affirmative Action
New York Times Opinion: Actually, Republicans Do Believe in Climate Change
COMMENTARY: Conservative Reasons to Oppose a Proposed High-Voltage Transmission Line in Wisconsin
See all news