William J. Ryan is replacing Robert Leider as acting chief counsel at ATF. He joined in April 2009 after Marine judge advocate duty at Camp Pendleton, led firearms technology by 2023, and filed 2023 declarations on the brace rule later held likely arbitrary and capricious by the Eighth Circuit plus the Rare Breed forced reset case where exclusion was denied and DOJ later announced a settlement. LinkedIn describes him as deputy chief counsel supervising 100 attorneys without naming the agency, he received an attorney general distinguished service award, and no congressional testimony or earlier press on him was found.