--- description: Find out why Josh Koskoff is one of the 100 most influential people of 2025. title: Josh Koskoff: The 100 Most Influential People of 2025 image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9a6b8ecdfdfface1/6998c5c2c8dcb4838db50097/time100-2025-josh-koskoff.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 --- Apr 16, 2025 # Josh Koskoff by Chris Murphy  While families of the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting look on, attorney Josh Koskoff speaks during a news conference in Trumbull, Conn., Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2022\. The families of nine victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting have agreed to a $73 million settlement of a lawsuit against the maker of the rifle used to kill 20 first graders and six educators in 2012, their attorney said Tuesday. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig) While families of the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting look on, attorney Josh Koskoff speaks during a news conference in Trumbull, Conn., Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2022\. The families of nine victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting have agreed to a $73 million settlement of a lawsuit against the maker of the rifle used to kill 20 first graders and six educators in 2012, their attorney said Tuesday. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)Seth Wenig—AP For almost two decades, the federal Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act prevented gun manufacturers from being held accountable for their role in the uniquely American epidemic of gun violence. Josh Koskoff, a feisty, public-­interest-minded lawyer in Connecticut, dared to challenge what was believed to be an impenetrable shield—and won. When Josh agreed to help the families of Sandy Hook victims take on Remington, the company that manufactured and marketed the AR-15-style rifle used to murder 20 children and six adults in Newtown, Conn., he knew it would be an uphill battle. But in 2022, his [novel approach](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/29/magazine/the-lawyer-trying-to-hold-gunmakers-responsible-for-mass-shootings.html "undefined") won a $73 ­million settlement for the families. Josh’s arguments—focused on corporate misconduct, not the Second Amendment—have become the model for holding the gun industry to account. In May, he filed lawsuits on behalf of Uvalde, Texas, families against gun manufacturer Daniel Defense, Meta, and Activision for their alleged roles in marketing AR-15-style rifles to a teenager who turned 18 just minutes before purchasing that rifle. No amount of money will bring back loved ones. But Josh gives the families he represents a real chance to seek justice. _Murphy, a Democrat, is a U.S. Senator for Connecticut_ Josh Koskoff Is on the 2025 TIME100 List ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Article","@id":"https://time.com/collections/100-most-influential-people-2025/7273769/josh-koskoff/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/collections/100-most-influential-people-2025/7273769/josh-koskoff/"},"headline":"Josh Koskoff","datePublished":"2025-04-16T10:30:00.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-03T00:46:00.191Z","description":"","url":"https://time.com/collections/100-most-influential-people-2025/7273769/josh-koskoff/","keywords":["TIME100","franchise","Magazine","Special Project","sponsorshipblock","Accolades","T100innovators2025"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9a6b8ecdfdfface1/6998c5c2c8dcb4838db50097/time100-2025-josh-koskoff.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"TIME Staff","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/time-staff/"}],"creator":"TIME Staff","articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9a6b8ecdfdfface1/6998c5c2c8dcb4838db50097/time100-2025-josh-koskoff.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/collections/100-most-influential-people-2025/7273769/josh-koskoff/","name":"Josh Koskoff"}}]}] ```