Ferguson then served as chief counsel for nominations and the constitution to then chairman of the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary,Lindsey Graham,and as senior special counsel to then-judiciary committee chairman Chuck Grassley.[3] He served as chief counsel to Mitch McConnell from 2019 until 2021.[3] In that role,he was leader McConnell's chief legal advisor and judicial confirmation strategist.[3]
In January 2022,Ferguson was selected by then attorney general of Virginia-elect Jason Miyares as the solicitor general.[5] He succeeded Michelle Kallen the following month.[6] He oversaw the appellate litigation of Virginia and its agencies;represented Virginia before the Supreme Court of the United States,the Supreme Court of Virginia and the federal courts of appeals;and defended Virginia's statutes and regulations from constitutional challenge.[3]
In June 2024,Ferguson,dissented when the Commission issued a final rule banning non-compete clauses in most employment contracts.[10][11] In August 2024,U.S. District Judge Ada Brown issued a nationwide injunction prohibiting enforcement of the rule.[12]
In September 2024,Ferguson disagreed with the Commission’s decision to approve Chevron’s $53 billion purchase of Hess only on the condition that John B. Hess could not serve on the company’s board.[13][14]
In October 2024,Ferguson argued in a partial dissent from a disqualification motion that the removal protections provided to the commission's administrative law judges are unconstitutional.[15][16]
Chairman
In January 2025,Ferguson was chosen by Donald Trump to chair the FTC,replacing Lina Khan,officially taking up the position following the president's inauguration.[17] His position as chairman did not need to be confirmed by the Senate,since he was already confirmed to serve on the Commission.[1] He has stated intentions to ease his predecessor's scrutiny of business mergers and acquisitions,while continuing critical oversight of big tech platforms.[18]
In January 2025,the FTC under Ferguson closed public comment on surveillance pricing,a price altering tool some online retailers like Amazon have been accused of using. In surveillance pricing,companies use consumers' personal information such as location and web usage to adjust the price for each individual.[19] This occurred after the FTC had found in an earlier study that companies have indeed used consumer data to adjust and target prices.[20]
In June 2025,the FTC under Ferguson initiated enforcement actions targeting major social media companies to limit the collection and use of personal data from children under 13,citing concerns over privacy and online safety.[21]
According to Bloomberg,despite expectations to ease business restrictions,Ferguson has kept aggressive cases against Meta Platforms and Amazon,as well as continuing Biden-era investigations of Microsoft.[22][dead link]
↑ Dissenting Statement of Commissioner Andrew N. Ferguson In the Matter of Chevron Corporation and Hess Corporation, FTC File No. 241-0008, 89 FR80563 (October 3, 2024)
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