Braden Boucek
Director of Litigation
Southeastern Legal Foundation

Braden Boucek
Director of Litigation
Southeastern Legal Foundation
Braden H. Boucek serves as Director of Litigation at the Southeastern Legal Foundation (SLF).
Prior to joining SLF, he served as Vice President of Legal Affairs at the Beacon Center of Tennessee, where he managed in-house legal matters and litigation for the Beacon Center and worked to advance Beacon’s larger goal of promoting freedom and opportunity in Tennessee.
Braden has been a litigator since 2001. Previously, Braden was an Assistant U.S. Attorney in both Nashville and Memphis for over nine years. During that time, he handled hundreds of cases ranging from Organized Crime, Drug Trafficking, Fraud, Counterfeiting, Terrorism and Immigration offenses. Braden has been recognized by his office for performance, winning both the Special Achievement award and Distinguished Service award. Two of his investigations were recognized as the district’s “Case of the Year” by the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force. For nearly five years before joining the Department of Justice, Braden served as a prosecutor for the State of Tennessee, first as an Assistant Attorney General and later as an Assistant District Attorney. He has been lead counsel in many jury trials at both the state and federal level. He has also argued dozens of cases before state and federal appellate courts, including the Tennessee Supreme Court and Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. Braden also served as an extern for the Florida Supreme Court. He obtained his J.D. at Florida State University College of Law, and his B.A. at the University of Richmond.

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Contributions
Deep Dive Episode 225 – State Constitutions and Individual Liberty: State or Federal Government as Primary Custodian of Individual Rights?
An expert panel joined us to debate the different purposes and rights guarantees within state constitutions and the federal constitution.
Listen to this podcastState Constitutions and Individual Liberty: State or Federal Government as Primary Custodian of Individual Rights?
An expert panel joined us to debate the different purposes and rights guarantees within state constitutions and the federal constitution.
Watch this videoDeep Dive Episode 217 – The Separation of Powers, From Washington to Sacramento
An expert panel debates the distinctions between the federal and state separation of powers doctrines, using California as an example.
Listen to this podcastThe Separation of Powers, From Washington to Sacramento
An expert panel debates the distinctions between the federal and state separation of powers doctrines, using California as an example.
Watch this videoDeep Dive Episode 214 – Emergency Management Statutes: Lessons from COVID-19
An expert panel debated whether states should reform their emergency management statutes in light of our experience with emergency governance over the past 24 months.
Listen to this podcastEmergency Management Statutes: Lessons from COVID-19
An expert panel debated whether states should reform their emergency management statutes in light of our experience with emergency governance over the past 24 months.
Watch this videoExplainer Episode 33 – Litigation Update: Shaw v. Metro. Gov’t
Paul Avelar and Braden Boucek joined the podcast to break down a Tennessee State Supreme Court zoning case from their clients’ point of view.
Listen to this podcastExplainer Episode 26 – Land Use Restrictions and Legislative Reform
In a conversation moderated by Kimberly Hermann, Braden Boucek and Emily Hamilton discuss several proposed legislative reforms to land use restrictions.
Listen to this podcastLicensing Speech & Regulating the Internet: Tennessee’s Auctioneer Licensing Scheme
Braden Boucek
“A state may not, under the guise of prohibiting professional misconduct, ignore constitutional rights.” And yet, ignoring fundamental speech rights is precisely what Tennessee is doing through its auctioneer licensing regime.
Read this articleDocket Watch: Zarate v. Tennessee of Cosmetology and Barber Examiners
Braden Boucek
If Elias wanted to save a life or write a law, his educational level would not disqualify him. Unfortunately, it does disqualify him from cutting hair.
Read this articleDeep Dive Episode 31 – Tennessee Licensing Board Alarmed by Entrepreneur’s Facial Recognition Software
Adam Jackson (Edge AI) and Braden Boucek (Beacon Center of Tennessee) discuss how Adam has been barred by the Tennessee Alarm Systems Contractors Board from distributing the software he developed to identify potentially dangerous individuals and prompt a security response before violence occurs.
Listen to this podcastDeep Dive Episode 18 – Regulatory Hurdles for Entrepreneurs: The Story of Project Belle
Armand Lauzon (Project Belle) and Braden Boucek (Beacon Center of Tennessee) discuss Project Belle and the company’s experience with the Tennessee State Board of Cosmetology.
Listen to this podcast