Patrick Jaicomo

Patrick Jaicomo is a senior attorney with the Institute for Justice and one of the leaders of IJ’s Project on Immunity and Accountability. Through the project, Patrick works to promote judicial engagement and ensure that government officials are held to account when they violate individuals’ constitutional rights.

In November 2020, Patrick argued Brownback v. King before the U.S. Supreme Court. That case, which involves the brutal choking and beating of an innocent college student by law enforcement officers working as members of a state-federal task force, will now return to the Sixth Circuit. There, the court will decide whether two claims brought in the same lawsuit can cancel each other out, simply because one of the claims was brought against the federal government. Patrick has litigated accountability issues—including qualified immunity and the restriction of constitutional claims against federal workers—across the country and at every level of the federal court system.

Before joining IJ, Patrick was a litigator at a private firm, where he cultivated a civil rights practice and handled all manner of cases in state and federal court. He earned his law degree from the University of Chicago and a degree in economics and political science from the University of Notre Dame.

Patrick was born and raised in rural, Steuben County, Indiana, where he met his wife and IJ colleague, Kenzie. The Jaicomos live in Arlington, Virginia, where Patrick maintains a basement full of vinyl records and guitars.

Patrick’s work has been featured in numerous publications, including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, and USA Today. He has also appeared on numerous podcasts and in other forms of media.