Anna W. St. John
Of Counsel
New Orleans, Louisiana
Education
Louisiana State University, B.A., magna cum laude, 2001
Columbia Law School, J.D., James Kent Scholar, 2006
Admissions
New York
Washington, DC
Louisiana
Background
Anna St. John is an experienced advocate focused on protecting consumers, fighting federal overreach, and protecting the rights of American citizens. As a result of her efforts, over $100 million has been returned to consumers and shareholders.
Anna currently serves as president and general counsel of the Hamilton Lincoln Law Institute (HLLI), where her litigation portfolio includes cases targeting federal regulatory overreach and class action abuse, as well as protection of free speech, religious liberty, and women’s sports programs.
Anna has successfully litigated complex commercial, contract, and insurance coverage disputes. She has served as trial counsel, argued before the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Second, Seventh, Ninth, and D.C. Circuits, two state appellate courts, and numerous federal district courts. She has also represented corporate and individual clients in criminal investigations alleging antitrust violations, unfair trade practices, and financial reporting irregularities.
Anna began her legal career as a litigator in the Washington, DC, office of Covington & Burling LLP. She also served as a law clerk for the Hon. Rhesa H. Barksdale of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.
Representative Matters
Class Actions and Consumer Protection Matters
Successfully appealed a class-action settlement that awarded the attorneys three times the amount distributed to the class, with the Second Circuit holding that courts must consider the allocation between the class and class counsel before approving a settlement. Kurtz v. Kimberly-Clark Corp., 142 F.4th 112 (2d Cir. 2025) (argued).
Successfully appealed the denial of a shareholder’s motion to intervene to challenge a settlement in a merger “strike suit” filed for the sole purpose of eliciting attorneys’ fees. Alcarez v. Akorn, Inc., 2024 U.S. App. LEXIS 9070 (7th Cir. Apr. 15, 2024) (argued).
Improved class members’ recovery by millions of dollars after challenging approval of a class-action settlement that provided $0 to class members, but divided $8.5 million between the plaintiffs’ lawyers and cy pres recipients—third party charities selected in part by the defendant and which included class counsel’s alma maters and organizations that the defendant already supported through donations. Frank v. Gaos, 139 S. Ct. 1041 (2019).
Successfully objected to excessive attorneys’ fees and inadequate representation by class counsel, resulting in an additional $100 million being distributed to the shareholder class. In re Petrobras Securities Litigation, 317 F. Supp. 3d 858 (S.D.N.Y. 2018) (argued).
Successfully represented a class member in objecting to a class-action settlement that would have paid millions in attorneys’ fees based on an illusory recovery amount that class members never received rather than the actual recovery, setting an important precedent to protect against abusive settlements and fee requests in future cases. Hesse v. Godiva Chocolatier, Inc., No. 1:19-cv-00972 (S.D.N.Y.) (argued).
Successfully represented a class member in objecting to a class-action settlement that treated class members unfairly and unequally in violation of Fed. R. Civ. Pro. 23, leading to improved recovery for the consumer class. Rodriguez v. It’s Just Lunch International, No. 07-cv-9227 (S.D.N.Y.) (argued).
Obtained an 8-figure recovery for a corporate policy holder in a lawsuit against its comprehensive general liability and umbrella insurers from the 1950s to 1970s for remediation and defense costs associated with groundwater contamination from a former manufacturing facility.
Administrative Procedure Act
Successfully challenged CMS’s Medicare and Medicaid Programs; Minimum Staffing Standards rule, 89 Fed. Reg. 40,876 (May 10, 2024), that was inconsistent with statutory law and threatened the health, safety, and well-being of millions of nursing home patients. Kansas v. Kennedy, 2025 WL 1702670 (N.D. Iowa June 18, 2025).
Challenged the ATF’s Definition of “Engaged in the Business” as a Dealer in Firearms rule, 89 Fed. Reg. 28,968 (Apr. 19, 2024), by which the ATF claimed the power to regulate local sales of even a single firearm, on behalf of a private plaintiff as part of a coalition of State Attorneys General, individuals, and an organization. Kansas v. Garland, No. 6:24-cv-01086 (D. Kan.), enforcement partially stayed sub nom Kansas v. Bondi, 2025 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 82546 (D. Kan. Feb. 27, 2025).
Served as local counsel in a challenge to SBA’s Interim Final Rule, Business Loan Program Temporary Changes; Paycheck Protection Program, 85 Fed. Reg. 20,811 (Apr. 15, 2020). DACO Investments, LLC v. SBA, 2024 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 33763 (W.D. La. Feb. 22, 2024), interlocutory appeal certified, 2024 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 79139 (W.D. La. Apr. 29, 2024), appeal pending, No. 24-30319 (5th Cir.).
Challenged the Department of Labor’s Prudence and Loyalty in Selecting Plan Investments and Exercising Shareholder Rights, 87 F.R. 73,822 (Dec. 1, 2022), which introduces ESG factors into the management of ERISA plan assets, on behalf of private plaintiffs as part of a coalition of State Attorneys General, individuals, and industry groups. Utah v. Su, No. 2:23-cv-00016 (N.D. Tex.), appeal pending, No. 23-11097 (5th Cir.).
Filed an amicus brief opposing EPA’s attempt to enforce its Title VI regulation as a catch-all, all-purpose disparate-impact regulation in the face of legal precedent foreclosing EPA’s novel interpretation and supporting the State of Louisiana’s challenge to that overreach. Louisiana v. EPA, 2024 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 12124 (W.D. La. Jan. 23, 2024).
Filed an amicus brief on behalf of Western counties to preliminarily and permanently enjoin a Presidentially-ordered indefinite “pause” of oil and gas leasing in federal waters, including Gulf of Mexico Lease Sale 257. Louisiana v. Biden, 543 F. Supp. 3d 388 (W.D. La. 2021).