McKenna Gilliland is a Litigation Fellow at the Institute for Justice. Before joining IJ, McKenna clerked for Chief Judge Jennifer Walker Elrod of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and Judge Sidney A. Fitzwater of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas.

McKenna earned her B.A. in history, cum laude, from Columbia University and, after graduating, worked for several years as a middle school social studies teacher and early elementary reading teacher. She then earned her J.D. from The University of Chicago Law School. While in law school, McKenna served as an articles editor for the Chicago Journal of International Law and received Pro Bono Honors recognition for her commitment to pro bono work.

McKenna is a member of the Texas Bar.