Legal career In 1987 and 1988, Conway served as a law clerk to Judge
Ralph K. Winter Jr. of the
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. In September 1988, Conway joined the law firm of
Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz. He was named a partner of the firm in the Litigation Department in January 1994 at a million dollars a year. Conway agreed to work unpaid During the representation of Jones, Conway worked closely with
Ann Coulter and
Matt Drudge. On March 29, 2010, Conway argued the securities case of
Morrison v. National Australia Bank before the U.S. Supreme Court. Conway won the case, which was decided by an 8–0 vote; the opinion was written by Justice
Antonin Scalia. Conway has been considered for some
United States Department of Justice posts. In January 2017, he was considered for the post of
Solicitor General. The job eventually went to
Noel Francisco. On March 17, 2017, it was reported that he would be nominated to run the
United States Department of Justice Civil Division. However, on June 2, 2017, Conway announced that he declined to pursue the post. On November 16, 2018, Conway stated that a reason he did not join the
Trump administration was because it was "like a shitshow in a
dumpster fire".
Anti-Trump activism On November 9, 2018, Conway and
Neal Katyal wrote an op-ed in
The New York Times challenging the constitutionality of Trump's appointment of
Matthew Whitaker as acting attorney general following the termination of
Jeff Sessions. Conway is a founding member and advisor of the
Lincoln Project, a conservative
Super PAC formed in December 2019 and dedicated to "Defeat President Trump and Trumpism at the ballot box". Its detailed aim is "persuading enough disaffected conservatives, Republicans and Republican-leaning independents in swing states and districts to help ensure a victory in the Electoral College, and congressional majorities that don't enable or abet Mr. Trump's violations of the Constitution". The group released its first video on January 9, 2020; called "The MAGA Church"; it warns evangelicals to beware of false prophets. On August 23, 2020, he announced that he would be taking a leave from the Lincoln Project in order to devote more time to his family. Kellyanne Conway, his wife, announced her departure from the White House the same day as well. In 2021, Conway said that the Lincoln Project should shut down after it was revealed that members of its leadership ignored warnings that another founder was harassing young men, including interns. Following the
first impeachment of Donald Trump, Conway opined in
The Washington Post that if the relevant witnesses are not allowed to testify during the Senate Trump impeachment trial, Trump's defenders will be negatively affected by "the very evidence they sought to suppress". Upon Senator
Mitch McConnell's refusal to subpoena
John Bolton in a Senate impeachment trial, Conway and
Neal K. Katyal opined in
The New York Times, "There is only one possible explanation for this behavior: [McConnell] is afraid of the truth. Otherwise, what argument can there be for refusing to hear from a central witness like Mr. Bolton, who other witnesses have indicated was exceptionally concerned about the suspension of military aid to Ukraine?" In April 2024, Conway donated the maximum legal amount of $929,600 to the Biden Victory Fund. When questioned about why he made the donation, Conway told
CNN that he believed the election crucial for upholding democracy and the rule of law. In May 2024, Conway funded a billboard directly on the path from
Mar-a-Lago to
Doral where Trump plays golf. The advertisement said "Vote for Joe, not the psycho". Since 2018, Conway's stated political positions have often been contrary to those taken by his wife on behalf of the Trump administration. His published
legal interpretations of Trump's actions differ from his wife's positions, and on Twitter he has been critical of Trump on a personal level. In March 2019, Trump responded to Conway's attacks by calling him a "stone cold LOSER & husband from hell" on
Twitter. Trump has called Conway "Deranged loser", "Whack job", "Moon face". Kellyanne defended Trump's comments in an interview, saying that Trump was "a counterpuncher" and was free to respond when he is attacked. Conway has said of Trump: “the lowest form of life on Earth.”
House of Representatives In December 2025, Conway made preparations to run for
Congress to replace retiring Representative
Jerry Nadler. The Congressional district (
New York's 12th Congressional District) covers most of
Midtown Manhattan and
Roosevelt Island. He is running as Democrat. On January 6, 2026, he officially announced the start of his Congressional campaign. If Conway wins, he vows to "make America boring again". As of May 2026, the prediction market
Polymarket has Conway at less than 1 percent chance of winning the Democratic Primary in June 2026. == Media presence ==