Melissa Holyoak is an American lawyer serving since 2024 as a

commissioner A commissioner (commonly abbreviated as Comm'r) is, in principle, a member of a commission or an individual who has been given a commission (official charge or authority to do something). In practice, the title of commissioner has evolved to incl ...

of the

Federal Trade Commission The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is an independent agency of the United States government whose principal mission is the enforcement of civil (non-criminal) United States antitrust law, antitrust law and the promotion of consumer protection. It ...

. She previously served as the

solicitor general A solicitor general is a government official who serves as the chief representative of the government in courtroom proceedings. In systems based on the English common law that have an attorney general or equivalent position, the solicitor general ...

Utah Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...

from 2020 to 2024.

Education

Holyoak graduated from the

University of Utah The University of Utah (the U, U of U, or simply Utah) is a public university, public research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. It was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret (Book of Mormon), Deseret by the General A ...

in 2000 with a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

and from its S.J. Quinney College of Law in 2003 with a

Juris Doctor A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...

degree. As a law student, Holyoak was an editor of the ''Utah Law Review'' and graduated with

Order of the Coif The Order of the Coif () is an American honor society for law school graduates. The Order was founded in 1902 at the University of Illinois College of Law. The name is a reference to the ancient English order of trial lawyers, the serjeants-at-la ...

membership.

Career

From 2003 to 2008, Holyoak was an associate in the Washington, D.C. office of the law firm

O'Melveny & Myers O'Melveny & Myers LLP is an American multinational law firm founded in Los Angeles in 1885. The firm employs approximately 800 lawyers and has offices in California, Washington, D.C., New York City, Texas, Beijing, Brussels, Hong Kong, London, S ...

while her husband attended medical school in

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

. After spending several years as a homemaker raising her and her husband's young children, Holyoak became a part-time public interest attorney with the Center for Class Action Fairness in 2012. She served as president and general counsel of Hamilton Lincoln Law Institute, a Washington, D.C.-based

public interest In social science and economics, public interest is "the welfare or well-being of the general public" and society. While it has earlier philosophical roots and is considered to be at the core of democratic theories of government, often paired ...

firm representing consumers challenging unfair class actions and regulatory overreach. Holyoak was one of the successful petitioners in the 2019 Supreme Court case '' Frank v. Gaos''. In September 2020, Holyoak became the Utah Solicitor General with the

Utah Attorney General The Attorney General of Utah is an elected constitutional officer in the executive branch of the state government of Utah. The attorney general is the chief legal officer and legal adviser in the state. The office is elected, with a term of four y ...

’s Office, where she manages the civil appeals, criminal appeals, constitutional defense and special litigation, and antitrust and data privacy divisions. In that capacity, she oversees merger reviews, data privacy and antitrust enforcement actions, and provides leadership in consumer protection matters.

Federal Trade Commission

Appointment

A Republican, Holyoak was nominated by U.S. president

Joe Biden Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...

in July 2023 to serve as a member of the Federal Trade Commission. Her nomination was confirmed by the Senate on March 7, 2024.

Commissioner

In May 2024, Holyoak dissented when the Commission conditioned approval of the $64.5 billion acquisition of

Pioneer Natural Resources Pioneer Natural Resources Company, headquartered in Irving, Texas, was a company engaged in hydrocarbon exploration. It operated in the Cline Shale, which is part of the Spraberry Trend of the Permian Basin, where the company was the larges ...

ExxonMobil Exxon Mobil Corporation ( ) is an American multinational List of oil exploration and production companies, oil and gas corporation headquartered in Spring, Texas, a suburb of Houston. Founded as the Successors of Standard Oil, largest direct s ...

upon the prohibition of founder Scott D. Sheffield from the company's board. In May 2024, Holyoak dissented when the Commission decided to proceed to trial in its challenge to the $24.6 billion proposed acquisition of Albertsons by Kroger. In June 2024, Holyoak, dissented when the Commission issued a final rule banning

non-compete clause In contract law, a non-compete clause (often NCC), restrictive covenant, or covenant not to compete (CNC), is a clause under which one party (usually an employee) agrees not to enter into or start a similar profession or trade in competition again ...

s in most employment contracts. In August 2024, U.S. District Judge Ada Brown issued a nationwide injunction prohibiting enforcement of the rule. In September 2024, Holyoak dissented when the Commission conditioned approval of the $53 billion acquisition of

Hess Corporation Hess Corporation (formerly Amerada Hess Corporation) is an American global independent energy company involved in the oil exploration, exploration and production of Petroleum, crude oil and natural gas. It was formed by the merger of Hess Oil and ...

Chevron Corporation Chevron Corporation is an American multinational energy corporation predominantly specializing in oil and gas. The second-largest direct descendant of Standard Oil, and originally known as the Standard Oil Company of California (shortened t ...

upon the prohibition of John B. Hess from the company's board.Dissenting Statement of Commissioner Melissa Holyoak In the Matter of Chevron Corporation and Hess Corporation, FTC File No. 241-0008, (October 3, 2024)

Personal life

Holyoak's husband, Joshua Holyoak, is a

urologist Urology (from Greek οὖρον ''ouron'' "urine" and ''-logia'' "study of"), also known as genitourinary surgery, is the branch of medicine that focuses on surgical and medical diseases of the urinary system and the reproductive organs. Org ...

. They have four children and live in Utah.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Holyoak, Melissa Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Solicitors general of Utah Utah Republicans Women in Utah politics S.J. Quinney College of Law alumni Place of birth missing (living people) 21st-century American women lawyers 21st-century American lawyers 21st-century American women politicians