CHRISTOPHER HEALY focuses on complex administrative and constitutional litigation, and on matters involving economic sanctions, digital assets, and national security. He has substantial experience litigating and advising on the scope of federal agency authority, the Administrative Procedure Act (APA), and a wide range of constitutional issues, including federal preemption and due process. Drawing on nearly a decade of high-level government service, Christopher brings his deep litigation and advisory skill set to clients navigating enforcement risks, cross-border regulatory regimes, and evolving federal enforcement landscapes.
Prior to joining Sidley, Christopher served in senior legal roles at the U.S. Department of the Treasury, and as a trial litigator at the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). As Senior Advisor to the General Counsel of the Treasury Department, Christopher served as the Department’s principal legal strategist on structuring and executing the G7’s US$50 billion Extraordinary Revenue Acceleration (ERA) Loans for Ukraine, a novel multinational sovereign lending initiative funded through interest earned on immobilized Russian sovereign assets. Before that, he served as the Department’s Acting Principal Deputy Assistant General Counsel for Enforcement & Intelligence, the second-highest ranking career attorney responsible for the Department’s national security portfolio. In that capacity, Christopher was lead counsel on the Treasury rulemaking extending Bank Secrecy Act compliance obligations to investment advisers, and was a principal legal adviser on other high-impact initiatives, including the executive order establishing secondary sanctions authorities targeting Russia’s military-industrial complex, and the multi-agency settlement with Binance—the largest such enforcement resolution in the Treasury’s history. For Christopher’s work at the Treasury Department, Secretary Yellen recognized him in 2024 with the “Distinguished Service Award,” one of the Treasury Department’s highest honors.
Before joining the Treasury Department, Christopher served as a trial attorney in the Federal Programs Branch of the DOJ’s Civil Division, where he litigated high-profile constitutional and administrative law cases on behalf of dozens of federal agencies. He served as lead district court counsel in numerous challenges to federal agency policies, including in several cases that were ultimately appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court. Christopher was a senior member of DOJ’s litigation teams in cases involving the government’s terrorist screening policies, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, and the state secrets privilege, and helped shape legal strategy in several landmark APA and Supremacy Clause disputes. For this work, he received several awards recognizing his leadership and excellence in litigation.