FTC Announces Appointment of Dania L. Ayoubi as New Administrative Law Judge

The Federal Trade Commission announced the appointment of Dania L. Ayoubi to serve as one of the agency’s Administrative Law Judges, who are responsible for independent adjudicative fact-finding in the agency’s administrative litigation and rulemaking proceedings.

The Commission voted 3-0 in February 2024 to approve Ayoubi’s appointment as an Administrative Law Judge.

Administrative Law Judge Ayoubi joins Chief Administrative Law Judge D. Michael Chappell and Administrative Law Judge Jay L. Himes, who came to the agency in March 2024. The Commission is expanding the number of administrative law judges to help handle an increased workload stemming from FTC rulemakings and enforcement matters as well as reviews of final civil sanctions imposed by the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority, a private nonprofit that the FTC oversees. 

Ayoubi most recently served as an administrative law judge for the Maryland Office of Administrative Hearings, where she served with distinction. Ayoubi independently presided over hundreds of cases involving appeals of state administrative agency decisions, including complex matters in consumer protection and antitrust. Prior to that, she worked as senior counsel in the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s Office of Regulations and as an attorney advisor in the Federal Communications Commission’s Wireline Competition Bureau.

She also served as a law clerk to the Honorable Eric T. Washington of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals and worked in the litigation practice group at Hughes Hubbard and Reed LLP. Ayoubi earned her undergraduate degree from Georgetown University and law degree from Georgetown University Law Center.