Kristen Waggoner

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Kristen Kellie Waggoner (born 1972) is an American attorney who has led Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) as president, CEO, and general counsel since 2022. She has argued several high-profile Supreme Court cases, including Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission (2018) and 303 Creative LLC v. Elenis (2023).

Early life
Waggoner was born in Longview, Washington, as the oldest of four children. Her father was a school superintendent and Assemblies of God minister; her mother was a stay-at-home mom who worked part-time in accounting. She attended Christian schools throughout her schooling, with her father serving as principal during her years there. In high school she played volleyball and basketball and finished as valedictorian.

Education and early career
She earned a magna cum laude degree from Northwest University on a drama scholarship, then earned her law degree (cum laude) from Regent University School of Law in 1997, where she won “best oralist” at the Whittier Moot Court Competition. She clerked for Washington Supreme Court Justice Richard B. Sanders and interned for U.S. Representative Linda Smith. In 1998 she joined the Seattle firm Ellis, Li & McKinstry, becoming a partner in 2004.

Alliance Defending Freedom
Waggoner joined ADF in 2013 and moved to the firm’s Scottsdale headquarters in 2014. She has led ADF in many Supreme Court cases, and the group has won nine Supreme Court cases under her lead. On October 1, 2022, she became CEO and president of ADF while remaining general counsel.

Notable cases
- Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission (2018): Waggoner argued for Jack Phillips; the Supreme Court ruled 7–2 in Phillips’s favor, focusing on the First Amendment and government neutrality.
- Arlene’s Flowers: She represented a florist in a Washington Supreme Court case arguing First Amendment grounds; the court ruled against her.
- 303 Creative LLC v. Elenis (2023): The Supreme Court ruled 6–3 that Colorado could not force a web designer to create wedding websites that conflict with her beliefs, preserving free speech protections for expressive services.

Personal life
Waggoner is married to Benjamin Waggoner, a Regent Law School graduate; they have three children. She is Pentecostal.