Ken Connelly, Esq., serves as legal counsel with Alliance Defending Freedom, where he plays an invaluable role with the Center for Marriage and Family. Since joining Alliance Defending Freedom in 2012, Connelly has defended marriage against a myriad of legal attacks. He has represented numerous public officials defending state marriage laws, including in Virginia and Arizona. He has also drafted and coordinated numerous friend-of-the-court briefs in cases challenging the federal Defense of Marriage Act before the Supreme Court, as well as for various challenges currently pending before federal district courts, and federal and state appeals courts nationwide. A former logistics officer in the U.S. Marine Corps, Connelly earned his J.D. from the University of St. Thomas Law School in 2007, graduating magna cum laude. Before graduating, he completed the Alliance Defending Freedom leadership development program to become a Blackstone Fellow in 2005. He is admitted to the state bar in Arizona and Minnesota, along with federal bars, including the District of Minnesota, the District of Arizona, and the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the 3rd and 4th Circuits.