James R. Lawrence III

James R. Lawrence III, Trump’s HHS Deputy General Counsel, was installed as acting chief counsel of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) during the tumultuous final weeks of the Trump Administration. In his roles, Lawrence was instrumental in weakening FDA regulations and limiting FDA authority. Experts called the torrent of last-minute changes, including a rule that would cause all FDA regulations to expire after 10 years unless they are reviewed, “a full-frontal assault on public health.” Lawrence is a contributor to Project 2025.

Just nine days before the end of Trump’s term, on January 11, 2021, the FDA landed on Lawrence as acting chief counsel after cycling through legal advisors. The FDA’s chief counsel Stacy Amin had abruptly resigned, which was followed by the FDA announcing that Mark Raza would be replacing her, but then HHS announced via Twitter that Lawrence would become the FDA’s chief counsel.

In its final weeks, the Trump administration had unleashed a wave of changes that threatened the independence of the agency, such as seeking to strip the agency of its oversight over genetically modified animals. It also proposed that all regulations would sunset after ten years, if not reauthorized. Another measure would have “reduce[d] scrutiny of drugs and medical devices before they reach market.” This raft of changes reportedly “blindsided” the agency’s staff. Politico reported that some of the moves were “partly steered by Lawrence,” moves some FDA experts called “a full-frontal assault on public health.” The Trump administration had instigated an “all-out attack” on the FDA and other federal scientists more broadly throughout his term.

After leaving DHS, Lawrence became a partner at a new firm in North Carolina called Envisage Law created in 2021. The firm’s site states “we believe like the founders of this country that a free people should never be ashamed or feel compelled to hide their faith in God.” Lawrence also acted as lead counsel on an amicus brief submitted by former officials, primarily from the Trump administration, in FDA v. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine, the case seeking to limit access to mifepristone, otherwise known as the abortion pill. (This summer, the U.S. Supreme Court remanded the case to the lower court, but the issue is expected to return for the Court to rule on the FDA’s power to approve mifepristone, post-election.)

Lawrence also represented COVID-19 anti-vaxxer Alex Berenson, who had been banned from Twitter for “repeated violations of our COVID-19 misinformation rules.” The Atlantic described Berenson as “The Pandemic’s Wrongest Man.” Lawrence also wrote an article attacking the EPA over its formaldehyde review, claiming any tightened restrictions on the carcinogen would hurt the economy or even “threaten the readiness of the US Armed Forces.”

Lawrence has been “actively involved in the UNC chapter of the Federalist Society.” He started his legal career as a judicial extern for Paul M. Newby on the North Carolina Supreme Court. (Newby was elected to the bench in North Carolina with extensive spending from outside groups tied to Leonard Leo. As the chief justice of that state high court, Newby was reportedly behind recent politically motivated efforts to investigate fellow Democratic justice Anita Earls.)

Note: Individuals included in the “Supply Chain” risk scenario would have decision-making purview over a regulatory space that greatly influences supply chains in key industries (e.g. agriculture, healthcare, technology, consumer goods), or whose influence on domestic or foreign policy could greatly disrupt aspects of supply chains, including shipping and logistics, trade agreements, and labor availability.

This profile has been updated.