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{{Short description|American lawyer}}
{{Short description|American lawyer}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2024}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2024}}
{{good article}}
{{Infobox person
{{Infobox person
|name = Lisa Blatt
|name = Lisa Blatt
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|caption = Lisa Blatt speaking at the 2023 [[United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit|Ninth Circuit]] Judicial Conference
|caption = Lisa Blatt speaking at the 2023 [[United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit|Ninth Circuit]] Judicial Conference
|birth_name = Lisa Carol Schiavo
|birth_name = Lisa Carol Schiavo
|birth_date = {{birth based on age as of date|30|1995|10|22}}<ref name="wedding">{{cite web |date=22 October 1995 |title= Lisa Schiavo, David Blatt |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/10/22/style/weddings-lisa-schiavo-david-blatt.html |work=[[New York Times]] |access-date=20 February 2023 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>
|birth_date = {{birth based on age as of date|30|1995|10|22}}<ref name="wedding">{{cite news |date=22 October 1995 |title= Lisa Schiavo, David Blatt |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/10/22/style/weddings-lisa-schiavo-david-blatt.html |work=[[New York Times]] |access-date=20 February 2023 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>
|birth_place = [[San Angelo, Texas]], U.S.
|birth_place = [[San Angelo, Texas]], U.S.
|death_date =
|death_date =
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|spouse = {{marriage|David Blatt|22 October 1995}}
|spouse = {{marriage|David Blatt|22 October 1995}}
|education = [[University of Texas at Austin]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]], [[Juris Doctor|JD]])
|education = [[University of Texas at Austin]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]], [[Juris Doctor|JD]])
|module = {{Listen
|module =
|pos = center
|embed = yes
|filename = Lisa Blatt's opening statement to the Supreme Court in Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc. v. Goldsmith.ogg
|title = Blatt's voice
|type = speech
|description = Blatt's opening statement to the [[Supreme Court of the United States|Supreme Court]] in ''[[Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc. v. Goldsmith]]''<br>Recorded October 12, 2022}}
}}
}}
'''Lisa Schiavo Blatt''' (born 1964/1965) is an American lawyer known for her advocacy before the [[Supreme Court of the United States]]. As of April 28, 2024, she has argued before the Supreme Court 50 times—the most of any woman in U.S. history. She is a partner at the law firm [[Williams & Connolly]] and chairs the firm's Supreme Court and appellate practice. She previously worked as an appellate lawyer for the U.S. government in the [[Solicitor General of the United States|Office of the Solicitor General]] and later chaired the Supreme Court and appellate practice at the law firm [[Arnold & Porter]].
'''Lisa Schiavo Blatt''' (born 1964/1965) is an American lawyer known for her advocacy before the [[Supreme Court of the United States]]. As of April 28, 2024, she has argued before the Supreme Court 50 times—the most of any woman in U.S. history. She is a partner at the law firm [[Williams & Connolly]] and chairs the firm's Supreme Court and appellate practice. She previously worked as an appellate lawyer for the U.S. government in the [[Solicitor General of the United States|Office of the Solicitor General]] and later chaired the Supreme Court and appellate practice at the law firm [[Arnold & Porter]].


==Early life and career==
==Early life and career==
Blatt was born Lisa Carol Schiavo in [[San Angelo, Texas]]<ref name="lawbook">{{cite news |author=[[Tony Mauro]] |date=3 August 2020 |title=Record-Breaking SCOTUS Advocate Lisa Blatt Talks Texas |url=https://www.wc.com/portalresource/lookup/poid/Z1tOl9NPluKPtDNIqLMRVPMQiLsSw43Dm0pC/document.name=/Record-Breaking%20SCOTUS%20Advocate%20Lisa%20Blatt.pdf |work=The Texas Lawbook |location= |access-date=20 February 2023}}</ref> to Dr. Lois Friedman, a psychologist and professor, and Dr. Luigi Schiavo, a software engineer.<ref name="wedding" /> She grew up in [[Texas]] in [[San Angelo, Texas|San Angelo]] and [[Bryan–College Station]].<ref name="UT">{{cite news |author=<!--not stated--> |date=31 August 2011 |title=Best Adversaries |url=https://law.utexas.edu/news/2011/08/31/best-adversaries/ |work=Texas Law News |publisher=[[University of Texas School of Law]] |location= |access-date=20 February 2023}}</ref>
Blatt was born Lisa Carol Schiavo in [[San Angelo, Texas]]<ref name="lawbook">{{cite news |author=Mauro |first=Tony |author-link=Tony Mauro |date=August 3, 2020 |title=Record-Breaking SCOTUS Advocate Lisa Blatt Talks Texas |url=https://www.wc.com/portalresource/lookup/poid/Z1tOl9NPluKPtDNIqLMRVPMQiLsSw43Dm0pC/document.name=/Record-Breaking%20SCOTUS%20Advocate%20Lisa%20Blatt.pdf |access-date=February 20, 2023 |work=The Texas Lawbook |location=}}</ref> to Dr. Lois Friedman, a psychologist and professor, and Dr. Luigi Schiavo, a software engineer.<ref name="wedding" /> She grew up in [[Texas]] in San Angelo and [[Bryan–College Station]].<ref name="UT">{{cite news |author=<!--not stated--> |date=August 31, 2011 |title=Best Adversaries |url=https://law.utexas.edu/news/2011/08/31/best-adversaries/ |work=Texas Law News |publisher=[[University of Texas School of Law]] |location= |access-date=February 20, 2023}}</ref>


Blatt was inspired by [[Thurgood Marshall]] to pursue a career in law and began speech and debate in seventh grade.<ref name="Lat interview">{{cite web |author=[[David Lat]] |date=14 December 2022 |title=SCOTUS Bar Superstar: An Interview With Lisa Blatt |url=https://davidlat.substack.com/p/scotus-bar-superstar-an-interview#details |access-date=20 February 2023 |website=Original Jurisdiction |publisher=[[Substack]] |quote=}}</ref> She attended the [[University of Texas at Austin]] for college and law school, graduating ''[[summa cum laude]]'' both times.<ref name="wedding" /><ref name=":3">{{Cite news |last=Castro |first=Melissa |date=November 16, 2009 |title=Arnold & Porter names Lisa Blatt to head appellate practice |url=https://www.bizjournals.com/washington/stories/2009/11/16/daily17.html |access-date=April 5, 2023 |work=[[Washington Business Journal]]}}</ref> After law school, she clerked for then-Judge [[Ruth Bader Ginsburg]] on the [[U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit]].<ref name="wedding" /> In 1990, Blatt joined the [[Washington, D.C.]] law firm Williams & Connolly.<ref>{{Cite web |date=4 February 2020 |title=Reflections of a Lady Lawyer |url=https://texaslawreview.org/reflections-of-a-lady-lawyer/ |access-date=6 April 2024 |website=[[Texas Law Review]] |language=en-US}}</ref> In 1993, she moved to the General Counsel's Office at the [[United States Department of Energy|Department of Energy]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Daily Dicta: Why Supreme Court Star Lisa Blatt Left Arnold & Porter for Williams & Connolly |url=https://www.law.com/plc-lit/2019/01/28/daily-dicta-why-supreme-court-star-lisa-blatt-left-arnold-porter-for-williams-connolly/ |access-date=6 April 2024 |website=Litigation Daily {{!}} [[The American Lawyer]] |language=en}}</ref> In 1996, she became an [[Solicitor General of the United States|assistant to the solicitor general]].<ref name=":3" /> She worked in the Office of the Solicitor General until 2009.<ref name=":3" /> She working for the [[Federal Trade Commission]] for most of 2009, before moving into private practice at Arnold & Porter.<ref name=":3" /> She was a partner at the firm and chaired its Supreme Court and appellate practice.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Why SCOTUS Star Lisa Blatt Left Arnold & Porter for Williams & Connolly |url=https://www.law.com/2019/01/28/why-scotus-star-lisa-blatt-left-arnold-porter-for-williams-connolly/ |access-date=25 July 2024 |website=[[Law.com]] |language=en}}</ref> She returned to Williams & Connolly in 2019 as chair of the Supreme Court and appellate practice.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2019 |title=Supreme Court and Appellate Partner Lisa Blatt Rejoins Williams & Connolly |url=https://www.wc.com/News/135802/Supreme-Court-and-Appellate-Partner-Lisa-Blatt-Rejoins-Williams-Connolly |access-date=26 January 2021 |website=[[Williams & Connolly]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Hoover |first=Jimmy |date=January 28, 2019 |title=High Court Veteran Returns 'Home' To Williams & Connolly |url=https://www.law360.com/articles/1122700/high-court-veteran-returns-home-to-williams-connolly |access-date=April 5, 2023 |work=[[Law360]]}}</ref> Blatt is also an adjunct professor of law at [[Georgetown University]], teaching classes on [[Constitutional law of the United States|constitutional law]] and the [[Separation of powers under the United States Constitution|separation of powers]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Lisa S. Blatt |url=https://www.law.georgetown.edu/faculty/lisa-s-blatt/ |access-date=6 April 2023 |website=[[Georgetown Law]] |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Lisa S. Blatt |url=https://conferences.law.stanford.edu/supreme-court-at-midterm/speakers/lisa-s-blatt/ |website=[[Stanford Law School]]}}</ref> She has also taught at [[Yale College]].<ref>{{Cite web |author=Slifka Center |date=23 September 2020 |title=The Supreme Court - Today An Insider's Perspective: A Slifka Salon with Lisa Blatt |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdayS2oFjFo |website=YouTube}}</ref>
Blatt was inspired by [[Thurgood Marshall]] to pursue a career in law and began speech and debate in seventh grade.<ref name="Lat interview">{{cite web |last=Lat |first=David |author-link=David Lat |date=December 14, 2022 |title=SCOTUS Bar Superstar: An Interview With Lisa Blatt |url=https://davidlat.substack.com/p/scotus-bar-superstar-an-interview#details |access-date=February 20, 2023 |website=Original Jurisdiction |publisher=[[Substack]] |quote=}}</ref> She attended the [[University of Texas at Austin]] for college and law school, graduating ''[[summa cum laude]]'' both times.<ref name="wedding" /><ref name=":3">{{Cite news |last=Castro |first=Melissa |date=November 16, 2009 |title=Arnold & Porter names Lisa Blatt to head appellate practice |url=https://www.bizjournals.com/washington/stories/2009/11/16/daily17.html |access-date=April 5, 2023 |work=[[Washington Business Journal]]}}</ref> After graduating from law school in 1989,<ref name=":3" /> Blatt [[Law clerk|clerked]] for then-Judge [[Ruth Bader Ginsburg]] on the [[U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit]].<ref name="wedding" /> A year later, Blatt joined the [[Washington, D.C.]] law firm Williams & Connolly.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Blatt |first=Lisa |date=February 4, 2020 |title=Reflections of a Lady Lawyer |url=https://texaslawreview.org/reflections-of-a-lady-lawyer/ |access-date=April 6, 2024 |website=[[Texas Law Review]] |language=en-US}}</ref> In 1993, she moved to the General Counsel's Office at the [[United States Department of Energy|Department of Energy]].<ref name="Greene2019">{{Cite news |last=Greene |first=Jenna |title=Daily Dicta: Why Supreme Court Star Lisa Blatt Left Arnold & Porter for Williams & Connolly |url=https://www.law.com/plc-lit/2019/01/28/daily-dicta-why-supreme-court-star-lisa-blatt-left-arnold-porter-for-williams-connolly/ |access-date=April 6, 2024 |website=Litigation Daily {{!}} [[The American Lawyer]] |language=en}}</ref> From 1996 to 2009, she worked in the [[Solicitor General of the United States|Office of the Solicitor General]] as an assistant to the solicitor general.<ref name=":3" /> She worked for the [[Federal Trade Commission]] for most of 2009 and then moved into private practice at Arnold & Porter,<ref name=":3" /> where she was a partner at the firm and chaired its Supreme Court and appellate practice.<ref name="Greene2019" /> She returned to Williams & Connolly in 2019 as chair of its Supreme Court and appellate practice.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2019 |title=Supreme Court and Appellate Partner Lisa Blatt Rejoins Williams & Connolly |url=https://www.wc.com/News/135802/Supreme-Court-and-Appellate-Partner-Lisa-Blatt-Rejoins-Williams-Connolly |access-date=January 26, 2021 |website=[[Williams & Connolly]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Hoover |first=Jimmy |date=January 28, 2019 |title=High Court Veteran Returns 'Home' To Williams & Connolly |url=https://www.law360.com/articles/1122700/high-court-veteran-returns-home-to-williams-connolly |access-date=April 5, 2023 |work=[[Law360]]}}</ref> Blatt is also an [[Adjunct professors in North America|adjunct]] professor of law at [[Georgetown University]], teaching classes on [[Constitutional law of the United States|constitutional law]] and the [[Separation of powers under the United States Constitution|separation of powers]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Lisa S. Blatt |url=https://www.law.georgetown.edu/faculty/lisa-s-blatt/ |access-date=April 6, 2023 |website=[[Georgetown Law]] |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Lisa S. Blatt |url=https://conferences.law.stanford.edu/supreme-court-at-midterm/speakers/lisa-s-blatt/ |website=[[Stanford Law School]]}}</ref> She has also taught at [[Yale College]].<ref>{{Cite web |author=Slifka Center |date=September 23, 2020 |title=The Supreme Court - Today An Insider's Perspective: A Slifka Salon with Lisa Blatt |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdayS2oFjFo |website=YouTube}}</ref>


== Supreme Court advocacy ==
== Supreme Court advocacy ==


Blatt has argued 50 cases before the Supreme Court,<ref name="Sherman">{{Cite news |last=Sherman |first=Mark |date=13 April 2024 |title=Nearing 50 Supreme Court arguments in, lawyer Lisa Blatt keeps winning |url=https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-women-lawyers-underrepresented-arguments-humor-4e3a5042d299eab80a0577f8c81eb189 |access-date=2 September 2024 |work=[[Associated Press]]}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{cite web|title=Lisa S. Blatt|url=https://www.oyez.org/advocates/lisa_s_blatt|website=[[Oyez Project]]|access-date=15 April 2024}}</ref> the most of any woman in U.S. history,<ref name=":1">{{Cite news |last=Sanchez |first=Brandon |date=21 May 2020 |title=She Has Argued 40 Cases in Front of the Supreme Court. The Latest Was From Her Dining Room. |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/she-has-argued-40-cases-in-front-of-the-supreme-court-the-latest-was-from-her-dining-room-11590053400 |access-date=6 April 2023 |newspaper=[[The Wall Street Journal]] |language=en-US}}</ref> winning in nearly 90% of them.<ref name="Sherman" /><ref>{{Cite news |last=Wheeler |first=Lydia |date=19 April 2024 |title=Fifty-Time Supreme Court Litigator Keeps Justices on Their Toes |url=https://news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/fifty-time-supreme-court-litigator-keeps-justices-on-their-toes |work=[[Bloomberg Law]]}}</ref><ref name="Lat interview" /> She has a distinctively blunt and informal style of speaking in court.<ref name="Sherman" /> Writing for [[Law360]], Broady Gavin called Blatt's approach to litigation "equal parts [[Sun Tzu]] and [[Vince Lombardi]]".<ref>{{Cite news |last=Broady |first=Gavin |date=October 28, 2014 |title=Arnold & Porter's Pugnacious Powerhouse: Lisa Blatt |work=Law360 |url=https://www.law360.com/articles/590769/arnold-porter-s-pugnacious-powerhouse-lisa-blatt}}</ref> Mark Sherman, writing for the [[Associated Press]], said that she "elicits laughs and the occasional sharp response from the justices, who seem to enjoy Blatt's presentations as much as they respect her legal acumen".<ref name="Sherman" />
Blatt has argued 50 cases before the Supreme Court,<ref name="Sherman">{{Cite news |last=Sherman |first=Mark |date=April 13, 2024 |title=Nearing 50 Supreme Court arguments in, lawyer Lisa Blatt keeps winning |url=https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-women-lawyers-underrepresented-arguments-humor-4e3a5042d299eab80a0577f8c81eb189 |access-date=September 2, 2024 |work=[[Associated Press]]}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{cite web|title=Lisa S. Blatt|url=https://www.oyez.org/advocates/lisa_s_blatt|website=[[Oyez Project]]|access-date=April 15, 2024}}</ref> the most of any woman in U.S. history,<ref name=":1">{{Cite news |last=Sanchez |first=Brandon |date=May 21, 2020 |title=She Has Argued 40 Cases in Front of the Supreme Court. The Latest Was From Her Dining Room. |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/she-has-argued-40-cases-in-front-of-the-supreme-court-the-latest-was-from-her-dining-room-11590053400 |access-date=April 6, 2023 |newspaper=[[The Wall Street Journal]] |language=en-US}}</ref> winning in more than 80% of the cases<!-- to avoid relying on original research, update this statistic and date only when there is an article giving a newer count --> as of April 2024.<ref name="Sherman" /><ref name="Wheeler">{{Cite news |last=Wheeler |first=Lydia |date=April 19, 2024 |title=Fifty-Time Supreme Court Litigator Keeps Justices on Their Toes |url=https://news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/fifty-time-supreme-court-litigator-keeps-justices-on-their-toes |work=[[Bloomberg Law]]}}</ref> She has a distinctively blunt and informal style of speaking in court—for example, referring to the justices as "you guys".<ref name="Sherman" /> In one case, she told [[Neil Gorsuch|Justice Gorsuch]] that "you've not obviously read our expert", to which Gorsuch responded: "That is not fair. Come on!"<ref>{{Cite news |last=Farivar |first=Masood |date=May 4, 2020 |title=US Supreme Court Justices 'Phone It In' for the First Time in Hearing a Case |url=https://www.voanews.com/a/usa_us-supreme-court-justices-phone-it-first-time-hearing-case/6188712.html |work=[[Voice of America]]}}</ref> In another instance, when [[Ketanji Brown Jackson|Justice Jackson]] suggested a simpler legal test than either side was arguing for, Blatt said "I'm fine with you making up stuff".<ref name="Wheeler" /> Writing for [[Law360]], Gavin Broady called Blatt's approach to litigation "equal parts [[Sun Tzu]] and [[Vince Lombardi]]".<ref>{{Cite news |last=Broady |first=Gavin |date=October 28, 2014 |title=Arnold & Porter's Pugnacious Powerhouse: Lisa Blatt |work=Law360 |url=https://www.law360.com/articles/590769/arnold-porter-s-pugnacious-powerhouse-lisa-blatt}}</ref> Mark Sherman, writing for the [[Associated Press]], said that she "elicits laughs and the occasional sharp response from the justices, who seem to enjoy Blatt's presentations as much as they respect her legal acumen".<ref name="Sherman" />


During the [[COVID-19 pandemic]], one of Blatt's cases was chosen to be the first remote [[oral argument]] in the Supreme Court's history.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Blatt |first=Lisa |date=29 April 2020 |title=Supreme Court arguments resume next week, with all the grandeur of working from home |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/courts_law/supreme-court-teleconference-arguments/2020/04/29/29799776-898e-11ea-8ac1-bfb250876b7a_story.html |work=[[The Washington Post]]}}</ref> In that case, ''[[Patent and Trademark Office v. Booking.com B. V.]]'' (2020), Blatt argued against the [[United States Patent and Trademark Office]]'s position that "Booking.com" was too [[generic term|generic]] to be a [[Trademark distinctiveness|registrable trademark]] for a hotel-booking service because it was simply the generic term "booking" plus the [[top-level domain]] "[[.com]]".<ref name="BloombergBooking">{{Cite news |last=Jahner |first=Kyle |last2=Brittain |first2=Blake |date=30 June 2020 |title=Supreme Court Affirms Validity of 'Booking.com' Trademark (1) |url=https://news.bloomberglaw.com/ip-law/supreme-court-affirms-validity-of-booking-com-trademark |work=[[Bloomberg Law]]}}</ref> The Supreme Court ruled for [[Booking.com]] 8–1, saying that the formulation "generic.com" is not categorically too generic to be a trademark, and that the evidence showed that consumers did not consider "Booking.com" generic.<ref name="BloombergBooking" />
During the [[COVID-19 pandemic]], one of Blatt's cases was chosen to be the first remote [[oral argument]] in the Supreme Court's history.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Barnes |first=Robert |date=April 29, 2020 |title=Supreme Court arguments resume next week, with all the grandeur of working from home |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/courts_law/supreme-court-teleconference-arguments/2020/04/29/29799776-898e-11ea-8ac1-bfb250876b7a_story.html |work=[[The Washington Post]]}}</ref> In that case, ''[[Patent and Trademark Office v. Booking.com B. V.]]'' (2020), Blatt argued against the [[United States Patent and Trademark Office]]'s position that "Booking.com" was too [[generic term|generic]] to be a [[Trademark distinctiveness|registrable trademark]] for a hotel-booking service because it was simply the generic term "booking" plus the [[top-level domain]] "[[.com]]".<ref name="BloombergBooking">{{Cite news |last=Jahner |first=Kyle |last2=Brittain |first2=Blake |date=June 30, 2020 |title=Supreme Court Affirms Validity of 'Booking.com' Trademark (1) |url=https://news.bloomberglaw.com/ip-law/supreme-court-affirms-validity-of-booking-com-trademark |work=[[Bloomberg Law]]}}</ref> The Supreme Court ruled for [[Booking.com]] 8–1, saying that the formulation "generic.com" is not categorically too generic to be a trademark, and that the evidence showed that consumers did not consider "Booking.com" generic.<ref name="BloombergBooking" />


In ''[[Mahanoy Area School District v. B.L.]]'' (2021), Blatt represented a school district that had suspended a student from [[cheerleading]] for posting an image on [[Snapchat]] after school that said "fuck school fuck softball fuck cheer fuck everything". Blatt argued that schools have a special interest under ''[[Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District]]'' (1969) in preventing speech that disrupts school activities—even, as here, when that speech takes place off campus. The court of appeals held that public schools have "no special license to regulate student speech occurring off campus". While the Supreme Court said that schools can forbid some disruptive off-campus speech, it ruled 8–1 that the school's interest in preventing disruption did not, in this instance, outweigh the cheerleader's [[Freedom of speech|right to free expression]] under the [[First Amendment to the United States Constitution|First Amendment]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Breuninger |first=Kevin |last2=Mangan |first2=Dan |date=23 June 2021 |title=Supreme Court rules for Pennsylvania cheerleader in school free speech case |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2021/06/23/supreme-court-rules-for-pennsylvania-cheerleader-in-school-free-speech-case.html |work=[[CNBC]]}}</ref>
In ''[[Mahanoy Area School District v. B.L.]]'' (2021), Blatt represented a school district that had suspended a student from [[cheerleading]] for posting an image on [[Snapchat]] after school that said "fuck school fuck softball fuck cheer fuck everything". Blatt argued that schools have a special interest under ''[[Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District]]'' (1969) in preventing speech that disrupts school activities—even, as here, when that speech takes place off campus. The court of appeals had ruled against the school district, holding that public schools have "no special license to regulate student speech occurring off campus". The Supreme Court partly disagreed with the court of appeals and said that schools can forbid some disruptive off-campus speech.<ref name="Breuninger" /> However, it ruled 8–1 that the school's interest in preventing disruption did not, in this instance, outweigh the cheerleader's [[Freedom of speech|right to free expression]] under the [[First Amendment to the United States Constitution|First Amendment]].<ref name="Breuninger">{{Cite news |last=Breuninger |first=Kevin |last2=Mangan |first2=Dan |date=June 23, 2021 |title=Supreme Court rules for Pennsylvania cheerleader in school free speech case |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2021/06/23/supreme-court-rules-for-pennsylvania-cheerleader-in-school-free-speech-case.html |work=[[CNBC]]}}</ref>


In ''[[Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc. v. Goldsmith]]'' (2023), Blatt represented photographer [[Lynn Goldsmith]] in a suit for [[copyright infringement]] of a photograph she took of [[Prince (musician)|Prince]]. Goldsmith licensed the photograph to ''[[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]]'' for use as a reference by [[Andy Warhol]] in a creating an image to accompany an article about Prince in a 1984 issue of the magazine. Without Goldsmith's awareness, Warhol also used the photograph to create a series of paintings known as the ''[[Prince Series]]''.<ref name="NYTGoldsmith">{{cite news|url= https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/28/us/politics/supreme-court-andy-warhol-prince.html |title=Supreme Court to Hear Copyright Fight Over Andy Warhol's Images of Prince |first=Adam |last=Liptak |date=28 March 2022 |accessdate=7 September 2024 |work=[[The New York Times]] }}</ref> In 2016, the [[Warhol Foundation]] licensed one of the paintings, ''[[Orange Prince]]'', to ''Vanity Fair'' for use as the cover image for an issue of the commemorating Prince.<ref name="NPRGoldsmith" /> Goldsmith sued the foundation for licensing it without her agreement.<ref name="NPRGoldsmith" /> In an argument filled with examples drawing on [[pop culture]], Blatt said in her opening statement: "If petitioner's test prevails, copyrights will be at the mercy of [[copycats]]. Anyone could turn [[Darth Vader]] into a hero or spin off ''[[All in the Family]]'' into ''[[The Jeffersons]]'', without paying the creators a [[dime (United States coin)|dime]]."<ref name="NPRGoldsmith">{{Cite news |last=Totenberg |first=Nina |date=12 October 2022 |title=Supreme Court dives into pop culture with Warhol, Prince and Norman Lear |url=https://www.npr.org/2022/10/12/1128530841/supreme-court-warhol-prince |work=[[NPR]]}}</ref> The Supreme Court ruled for Goldsmith 7–2, saying that both images were used for "substantially the same purpose"—commercial licensing to magazines for depicting Prince—such that the purpose of the challenged use was not [[transformative use|transformative]] and did not favor a claim of [[fair use]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=de Vogue |first=Ariane |date=18 May 2023 |title=Supreme Court rules against Andy Warhol in copyright dispute over Prince portrait |url=https://www.cnn.com/2023/05/18/politics/supreme-court-prince-andy-warhol/index.html |work=[[CNN]]}}</ref>
In ''[[Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc. v. Goldsmith]]'' (2023), Blatt represented photographer [[Lynn Goldsmith]] in a suit for [[copyright infringement]] of a photograph she took of [[Prince (musician)|Prince]]. Goldsmith licensed the photograph to ''[[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]]'' for use as a reference by [[Andy Warhol]] in creating an image to accompany an article about Prince in a 1984 issue of the magazine. Without Goldsmith's awareness, Warhol also used the photograph to create a series of paintings known as the ''[[Prince Series]]''.<ref name="NYTGoldsmith">{{cite news|url= https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/28/us/politics/supreme-court-andy-warhol-prince.html |title=Supreme Court to Hear Copyright Fight Over Andy Warhol's Images of Prince |first=Adam |last=Liptak |author-link=Adam Liptak |date=March 28, 2022 |accessdate=September 7, 2024 |work=[[The New York Times]] }}</ref> In 2016, the [[Warhol Foundation]] licensed one of the paintings, ''[[Orange Prince]]'', to ''Vanity Fair'' for use as the cover image for an issue of the commemorating Prince.<ref name="NPRGoldsmith" /> Goldsmith sued the foundation for licensing it without her agreement.<ref name="NPRGoldsmith" /> In an argument filled with examples drawing on [[pop culture]], Blatt said in her opening statement: "If petitioner's test prevails, copyrights will be at the mercy of [[copycats]]. Anyone could turn [[Darth Vader]] into a hero or spin off ''[[All in the Family]]'' into ''[[The Jeffersons]]'', without paying the creators a [[dime (United States coin)|dime]]."<ref name="NPRGoldsmith">{{Cite news |last=Totenberg |first=Nina |author-link=Nina Totenberg |date=October 12, 2022 |title=Supreme Court dives into pop culture with Warhol, Prince and Norman Lear |url=https://www.npr.org/2022/10/12/1128530841/supreme-court-warhol-prince |work=[[NPR]]}}</ref> The Supreme Court ruled for Goldsmith 7–2, saying that both images were used for "substantially the same purpose"—commercial licensing to magazines for depicting Prince—such that the purpose of the challenged use was not [[transformative use|transformative]] and did not favor a claim of [[fair use]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=de Vogue |first=Ariane |date=May 18, 2023 |title=Supreme Court rules against Andy Warhol in copyright dispute over Prince portrait |url=https://www.cnn.com/2023/05/18/politics/supreme-court-prince-andy-warhol/index.html |work=[[CNN]]}}</ref>


==Public positions==
==Public positions==
Blatt has described herself as a liberal [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrat]] and [[Feminism|feminist]],<ref name=":11">{{Cite web |last=Blatt |first=Lisa |date=2 August 2018 |title=I'm a Liberal Feminist Lawyer. Here's Why Democrats Should Support Judge Kavanaugh. |url=https://politi.co/2LNGJ5u |access-date=6 April 2023 |website=[[Politico Magazine]] |language=en}}</ref> and has said that she supported [[Hillary Clinton]] in the [[2016 United States presidential election|2016 presidential election]].<ref name=":12">[https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CHRG-115shrg32765/pdf/CHRG-115shrg32765.pdf Confirmation Hearing on the Nomination of Hon. Brett M. Kavanaugh: Hearing Before the S. Comm. on the Judiciary.] S. Hrg. No. 115-545. Sept. 4, 2018.</ref> On August 2, 2018, Blatt endorsed then-Judge [[Brett Kavanaugh]]'s [[Brett Kavanaugh Supreme Court nomination|nomination to the Supreme Court]], touting him as "the most qualified conservative for the job".<ref name=":11" /> Blatt introduced Kavanaugh at his [[United States Senate|Senate]] confirmation hearing alongside former Secretary of State [[Condoleezza Rice]] and Ohio Senator [[Rob Portman]].<ref name=":12" /> Blatt also criticized the Senate [[Merrick Garland Supreme Court nomination|for not confirming]] then-Judge [[Merrick Garland]] to the Supreme Court.<ref name=":12" /> Maine Senator [[Susan Collins]] cited Blatt's remarks in announcing her vote to confirm Kavanaugh.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Senator Collins Announces She Will Vote to Confirm Judge Kavanaugh {{!}} U.S. Senator Susan Collins of Maine |url=https://www.collins.senate.gov/newsroom/senator-collins-announces-she-will-vote-confirm-judge-kavanaugh |access-date=6 April 2023 |website=www.collins.senate.gov |date=5 October 2018 |language=en}}</ref> Blatt's support for Kavanaugh led progressive activists to lobby President-elect [[Joe Biden]] not to nominate Blatt as [[U.S. Solicitor General]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Meyer |first=Theodoric |date=4 December 2020 |title=Progressive judicial group to Biden: Pick a Black woman for solicitor general |url=https://www.politico.com/news/2020/12/04/progressives-biden-black-solicitor-general-442930 |access-date=6 April 2023 |website=[[Politico]] |language=en}}</ref>
Blatt has described herself as a liberal [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrat]] and [[Feminism|feminist]],<ref name=":11">{{Cite web |last=Blatt |first=Lisa |date=August 2, 2018 |title=I'm a Liberal Feminist Lawyer. Here's Why Democrats Should Support Judge Kavanaugh. |url=https://politi.co/2LNGJ5u |access-date=April 6, 2023 |website=[[Politico Magazine]] |language=en}}</ref> and has said that she voted for [[Hillary Clinton]] in the [[2016 United States presidential election|2016 presidential election]] and voted for [[Barack Obama]] twice.<ref name=":12">[https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CHRG-115shrg32765/pdf/CHRG-115shrg32765.pdf#page=127 Confirmation Hearing on the Nomination of Hon. Brett M. Kavanaugh: Hearing Before the S. Comm. on the Judiciary.] S. Hrg. No. 115-545, p. 107. September 4, 2018.</ref> During the 2016 election day, when asked by [[Bloomberg Law]] who she voted for, how, and why, she said: "Duh! Clinton; [[early voting]]; and seriously?"<ref>{{Cite news |last=Sullivan |first=Casey |date=November 8, 2016 |title=Flash Poll! These Lawyers Voted for Hillary Clinton |url=https://bol.bna.com/flash-poll-these-lawyers-are-voting-for-hillary-clinton/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161110164442/https://bol.bna.com/flash-poll-these-lawyers-are-voting-for-hillary-clinton/ |archive-date=November 10, 2016 |work=[[Bloomberg Law]]}}</ref>


On August 2, 2018, Blatt endorsed then-Judge [[Brett Kavanaugh]]'s [[Brett Kavanaugh Supreme Court nomination|nomination to the Supreme Court]], touting him as "the most qualified conservative for the job" and as having an outstanding record of hiring women as law clerks.<ref name=":11" /> Blatt introduced Kavanaugh at his [[United States Senate|Senate]] confirmation hearing alongside former Secretary of State [[Condoleezza Rice]] and Ohio Senator [[Rob Portman]].<ref name=":12" /> Blatt also criticized the Senate [[Merrick Garland Supreme Court nomination|for not confirming]] then-Judge [[Merrick Garland]] to the Supreme Court.<ref name=":12" /> Maine Senator [[Susan Collins]] cited Blatt's remarks in announcing her vote to confirm Kavanaugh.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Senator Collins Announces She Will Vote to Confirm Judge Kavanaugh {{!}} U.S. Senator Susan Collins of Maine |url=https://www.collins.senate.gov/newsroom/senator-collins-announces-she-will-vote-confirm-judge-kavanaugh |access-date=April 6, 2023 |website=www.collins.senate.gov |date=October 5, 2018 |language=en}}</ref> Blatt's support for Kavanaugh led progressive activists to lobby President-elect [[Joe Biden]] not to nominate Blatt as [[U.S. Solicitor General]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Meyer |first=Theodoric |date=December 4, 2020 |title=Progressive judicial group to Biden: Pick a Black woman for solicitor general |url=https://www.politico.com/news/2020/12/04/progressives-biden-black-solicitor-general-442930 |access-date=April 6, 2023 |website=[[Politico]] |language=en}}</ref>
⚫
Blatt has said that the legal profession is "overrun with men"<ref name=":11" /> and that male lawyers arguing in court "generally are more fearless" even though many are "obviously clueless that they have no talent".<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Blatt |first=Lisa |date=2010 |title=In Front of the Burgundy Curtain: The Top Ten Lessons I've Learned About Advocacy Before the Nation's Highest Court |url=http://www.greenbag.org/v14n1/v14n1_articles_blatt.pdf |journal=[[The Green Bag (1997)|The Green Bag]]}}</ref> Blatt has advocated for diversifying the pool of lawyers arguing before the Supreme Court.<ref>{{Cite news |date=30 October 2022 |first1=Theodoric |last1=Meyer |first2=Tobi |last2=Raji|title=Historically diverse Supreme Court hears disproportionately from White lawyers |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2022/10/30/supreme-court-justices-diversity-lawyers/ |access-date=6 April 2023 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |language=en}}</ref> In 2022, Blatt said: "As far as I can tell, only two black men from private practice have argued since 2003 and one of them, the great [[John Payton]] passed away 10 years ago. The other one, Luke McCloud, had not even argued in any courtroom before I got to Williams & Connolly. The numbers will not change unless we act instead of just talk."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Mauro |first=Tony |date=April 28, 2022 |title=Marble Palace Blog: Celebrated as a Top SCOTUS Advocate, Lisa Blatt Laments 'Appalling Disparity' Among Lawyers Before the Court |url=https://www.law.com/nationallawjournal/2022/04/28/marble-palace-blog-celebrated-as-a-top-scotus-advocate-lisa-blatt-laments-appalling-disparity-among-lawyers-before-the-court/ |access-date=April 6, 2023 |work=[[Law.com]]}}</ref> As of 2019, all three partners in her firm's Supreme Court and appellate practice area were women: Blatt, Sarah Harris, and Amy Zaharia.<ref name="Daily Dicta"/> ''[[ALM (company)|American Lawyer]]'' has called this all-female practice "an anomaly among its peers".<ref name="Daily Dicta">{{Cite news |last=Greene |first=Jenna |date=April 17, 2019 |title=Daily Dicta: At Williams & Connolly, 'The Primordial, Motherly Instinct to Protect and Defend' |url=https://www.law.com/litigationdaily/2019/04/17/daily-dicta-at-williams-connolly-the-primordial-motherly-instinct-to-protect-and-defend/ |access-date=April 6, 2023 |work=[[Law.com]]}}</ref>

⚫
Blatt has said that the legal profession is "overrun with men, and unless institutions like the Supreme Court do more to hire women, the upper echelons of my profession will never fully include women".<ref name=":11" /> In addition to structural barriers to inclusion, Blatt also pointed to a "war-like mentality" that is required for litigation and said that male litigators "generally are more fearless" than women even though many are "obviously clueless that they have no talent".<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Blatt |first=Lisa |date=2010 |title=In Front of the Burgundy Curtain: The Top Ten Lessons I've Learned About Advocacy Before the Nation's Highest Court |url=http://www.greenbag.org/v14n1/v14n1_articles_blatt.pdf |journal=[[The Green Bag (1997)|The Green Bag]]}}</ref> Blatt has also advocated for more racial diversity in the pool of lawyers arguing before the Supreme Court.<ref>{{Cite news |date=October 30, 2022 |first1=Theodoric |last1=Meyer |first2=Tobi |last2=Raji|title=Historically diverse Supreme Court hears disproportionately from White lawyers |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2022/10/30/supreme-court-justices-diversity-lawyers/ |access-date=April 6, 2023 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |language=en}}</ref> In 2022, Blatt said: "As far as I can tell, only two black men from private practice have argued since 2003 and one of them, the great [[John Payton]] passed away 10 years ago. The other one, Luke McCloud, had not even argued in any courtroom before I got to Williams & Connolly. The numbers will not change unless we act instead of just talk."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Mauro |first=Tony |author-link=Tony Mauro |date=April 28, 2022 |title=Marble Palace Blog: Celebrated as a Top SCOTUS Advocate, Lisa Blatt Laments 'Appalling Disparity' Among Lawyers Before the Court |url=https://www.law.com/nationallawjournal/2022/04/28/marble-palace-blog-celebrated-as-a-top-scotus-advocate-lisa-blatt-laments-appalling-disparity-among-lawyers-before-the-court/ |access-date=April 6, 2023 |work=[[Law.com]]}}</ref> As of 2019, all three partners in her firm's Supreme Court and appellate practice area were women: Blatt, Sarah Harris, and Amy Zaharia.<ref name="Daily Dicta"/> ''[[ALM (company)|American Lawyer]]'' has called this all-female practice "an anomaly among its peers".<ref name="Daily Dicta">{{Cite news |last=Greene |first=Jenna |date=April 17, 2019 |title=Daily Dicta: At Williams & Connolly, 'The Primordial, Motherly Instinct to Protect and Defend' |url=https://www.law.com/litigationdaily/2019/04/17/daily-dicta-at-williams-connolly-the-primordial-motherly-instinct-to-protect-and-defend/ |access-date=April 6, 2023 |work=[[Law.com]]}}</ref>


==Personal life==
==Personal life==
Blatt is married to David Blatt, a fellow partner at Williams & Connolly who specializes in commercial litigation.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Some Attorneys Are Partners in Life, Partners in Practice |url=https://news.bloomberglaw.com/business-and-practice/some-attorneys-are-partners-in-life-partners-in-practice |access-date=6 April 2023 |website=news.bloomberglaw.com |language=en}}</ref> Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg officiated their wedding in 1995.<ref name="wedding" /> Blatt's father-in-law, [[Sidney Blatt]], was a noted psychologist at Yale University.<ref>{{Cite news |title=In Memoriam: Sidney J. Blatt, PhD |language=en |work=Yale School of Medicine |url=https://medicine.yale.edu/news-article/in-memoriam-sidney-j-blatt-phd/ |access-date=6 April 2023}}</ref> Lisa and David Blatt have two children, Daniel and Rachel, who both have attended Stanford Law School.<ref name="Lat interview" /> She is [[Jews|Jewish]].<ref name="Lat interview" />
Blatt is married to David Blatt, a fellow partner at Williams & Connolly who specializes in commercial litigation.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Olson |first=Elizabeth |date=January 31, 2019 |title=Some Attorneys Are Partners in Life, Partners in Practice |url=https://news.bloomberglaw.com/business-and-practice/some-attorneys-are-partners-in-life-partners-in-practice |access-date=April 6, 2023 |website=[[Bloomberg Law]] |language=en}}</ref> Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg officiated their wedding in 1995.<ref name="wedding" /> Blatt's father-in-law, [[Sidney Blatt]], was a noted psychologist at Yale University.<ref>{{Cite news |title=In Memoriam: Sidney J. Blatt, PhD |language=en |work=Yale School of Medicine |url=https://medicine.yale.edu/news-article/in-memoriam-sidney-j-blatt-phd/ |access-date=April 6, 2023}}</ref> Lisa and David Blatt have two children, who both attended [[Stanford Law School]].<ref name="Lat interview" /> She is [[Jews|Jewish]].<ref name="Lat interview" />


== Publications ==
== Publications ==


* {{Bluebook journal|first=Lisa S. |last=Blatt |title=In Front of the Burgundy Curtain |url=http://www.greenbag.org/v14n1/v14n1_articles_blatt.pdf |volume=14 |journal=[[Green Bag 2d]] |page=9 |year=2010}}
* {{Bluebook journal|first=Lisa S. |last=Blatt |title=In Front of the Burgundy Curtain |url=http://www.greenbag.org/v14n1/v14n1_articles_blatt.pdf |volume=14 |journal=[[Green Bag 2d]] |page=9 |year=2010}}
* {{Bluebook web<!-- just for consistency with the other two -->|first=Lisa |last=Blatt|title=I’m a Liberal Feminist Lawyer. Here’s Why Democrats Should Support Judge Kavanaugh|url=https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2018/08/02/im-a-liberal-feminist-heres-why-i-support-judge-kavanaugh-219081/|publisher=[[Politico Magazine]]|date=2 August 2018}}
* {{Bluebook web<!-- just for consistency with the other two -->|first=Lisa |last=Blatt|title=I’m a Liberal Feminist Lawyer. Here’s Why Democrats Should Support Judge Kavanaugh|url=https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2018/08/02/im-a-liberal-feminist-heres-why-i-support-judge-kavanaugh-219081/|publisher=[[Politico Magazine]]|date=August 2, 2018}}
* {{Bluebook journal|first=Lisa |last=Blatt |title=Reflections of a Lady Lawyer| |url=https://texaslawreview.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Blatt-Women-and-Law-1.pdf |volume= |journal=in Women & the Law |page=59 |year=2020|punct=}} (joint publication of the top sixteen U.S. law reviews).
* {{Bluebook journal|first=Lisa |last=Blatt |title=Reflections of a Lady Lawyer| |url=https://texaslawreview.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Blatt-Women-and-Law-1.pdf |volume= |journal=in Women & the Law |page=59 |year=2020|punct=}} (joint publication of the top sixteen U.S. law reviews).


Latest revision as of 09:03, 18 September 2024

Lisa Blatt
Lisa Blatt speaking at the 2023 Ninth Circuit Judicial Conference
Born
Lisa Carol Schiavo

1964 or 1965 (age 58–59)[1]
San Angelo, Texas, U.S.
EducationUniversity of Texas at Austin (BA, JD)
Spouse
David Blatt
​
(m. 1995)​

Lisa Schiavo Blatt (born 1964/1965) is an American lawyer known for her advocacy before the Supreme Court of the United States. As of April 28, 2024, she has argued before the Supreme Court 50 times—the most of any woman in U.S. history. She is a partner at the law firm Williams & Connolly and chairs the firm's Supreme Court and appellate practice. She previously worked as an appellate lawyer for the U.S. government in the Office of the Solicitor General and later chaired the Supreme Court and appellate practice at the law firm Arnold & Porter.

Early life and career

[edit]

Blatt was born Lisa Carol Schiavo in San Angelo, Texas[2] to Dr. Lois Friedman, a psychologist and professor, and Dr. Luigi Schiavo, a software engineer.[1] She grew up in Texas in San Angelo and Bryan–College Station.[3]

Blatt was inspired by Thurgood Marshall to pursue a career in law and began speech and debate in seventh grade.[4] She attended the University of Texas at Austin for college and law school, graduating summa cum laude both times.[1][5] After graduating from law school in 1989,[5] Blatt clerked for then-Judge Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.[1] A year later, Blatt joined the Washington, D.C. law firm Williams & Connolly.[6] In 1993, she moved to the General Counsel's Office at the Department of Energy.[7] From 1996 to 2009, she worked in the Office of the Solicitor General as an assistant to the solicitor general.[5] She worked for the Federal Trade Commission for most of 2009 and then moved into private practice at Arnold & Porter,[5] where she was a partner at the firm and chaired its Supreme Court and appellate practice.[7] She returned to Williams & Connolly in 2019 as chair of its Supreme Court and appellate practice.[8][9] Blatt is also an adjunct professor of law at Georgetown University, teaching classes on constitutional law and the separation of powers.[10][11] She has also taught at Yale College.[12]

Supreme Court advocacy

[edit]

Blatt has argued 50 cases before the Supreme Court,[13][14] the most of any woman in U.S. history,[15] winning in more than 80% of the cases as of April 2024.[13][16] She has a distinctively blunt and informal style of speaking in court—for example, referring to the justices as "you guys".[13] In one case, she told Justice Gorsuch that "you've not obviously read our expert", to which Gorsuch responded: "That is not fair. Come on!"[17] In another instance, when Justice Jackson suggested a simpler legal test than either side was arguing for, Blatt said "I'm fine with you making up stuff".[16] Writing for Law360, Gavin Broady called Blatt's approach to litigation "equal parts Sun Tzu and Vince Lombardi".[18] Mark Sherman, writing for the Associated Press, said that she "elicits laughs and the occasional sharp response from the justices, who seem to enjoy Blatt's presentations as much as they respect her legal acumen".[13]

During the COVID-19 pandemic, one of Blatt's cases was chosen to be the first remote oral argument in the Supreme Court's history.[19] In that case, Patent and Trademark Office v. Booking.com B. V. (2020), Blatt argued against the United States Patent and Trademark Office's position that "Booking.com" was too generic to be a registrable trademark for a hotel-booking service because it was simply the generic term "booking" plus the top-level domain ".com".[20] The Supreme Court ruled for Booking.com 8–1, saying that the formulation "generic.com" is not categorically too generic to be a trademark, and that the evidence showed that consumers did not consider "Booking.com" generic.[20]

In Mahanoy Area School District v. B.L. (2021), Blatt represented a school district that had suspended a student from cheerleading for posting an image on Snapchat after school that said "fuck school fuck softball fuck cheer fuck everything". Blatt argued that schools have a special interest under Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District (1969) in preventing speech that disrupts school activities—even, as here, when that speech takes place off campus. The court of appeals had ruled against the school district, holding that public schools have "no special license to regulate student speech occurring off campus". The Supreme Court partly disagreed with the court of appeals and said that schools can forbid some disruptive off-campus speech.[21] However, it ruled 8–1 that the school's interest in preventing disruption did not, in this instance, outweigh the cheerleader's right to free expression under the First Amendment.[21]

In Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc. v. Goldsmith (2023), Blatt represented photographer Lynn Goldsmith in a suit for copyright infringement of a photograph she took of Prince. Goldsmith licensed the photograph to Vanity Fair for use as a reference by Andy Warhol in creating an image to accompany an article about Prince in a 1984 issue of the magazine. Without Goldsmith's awareness, Warhol also used the photograph to create a series of paintings known as the Prince Series.[22] In 2016, the Warhol Foundation licensed one of the paintings, Orange Prince, to Vanity Fair for use as the cover image for an issue of the commemorating Prince.[23] Goldsmith sued the foundation for licensing it without her agreement.[23] In an argument filled with examples drawing on pop culture, Blatt said in her opening statement: "If petitioner's test prevails, copyrights will be at the mercy of copycats. Anyone could turn Darth Vader into a hero or spin off All in the Family into The Jeffersons, without paying the creators a dime."[23] The Supreme Court ruled for Goldsmith 7–2, saying that both images were used for "substantially the same purpose"—commercial licensing to magazines for depicting Prince—such that the purpose of the challenged use was not transformative and did not favor a claim of fair use.[24]

Public positions

[edit]

Blatt has described herself as a liberal Democrat and feminist,[25] and has said that she voted for Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election and voted for Barack Obama twice.[26] During the 2016 election day, when asked by Bloomberg Law who she voted for, how, and why, she said: "Duh! Clinton; early voting; and seriously?"[27]

On August 2, 2018, Blatt endorsed then-Judge Brett Kavanaugh's nomination to the Supreme Court, touting him as "the most qualified conservative for the job" and as having an outstanding record of hiring women as law clerks.[25] Blatt introduced Kavanaugh at his Senate confirmation hearing alongside former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Ohio Senator Rob Portman.[26] Blatt also criticized the Senate for not confirming then-Judge Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court.[26] Maine Senator Susan Collins cited Blatt's remarks in announcing her vote to confirm Kavanaugh.[28] Blatt's support for Kavanaugh led progressive activists to lobby President-elect Joe Biden not to nominate Blatt as U.S. Solicitor General.[29]

Blatt has said that the legal profession is "overrun with men, and unless institutions like the Supreme Court do more to hire women, the upper echelons of my profession will never fully include women".[25] In addition to structural barriers to inclusion, Blatt also pointed to a "war-like mentality" that is required for litigation and said that male litigators "generally are more fearless" than women even though many are "obviously clueless that they have no talent".[30] Blatt has also advocated for more racial diversity in the pool of lawyers arguing before the Supreme Court.[31] In 2022, Blatt said: "As far as I can tell, only two black men from private practice have argued since 2003 and one of them, the great John Payton passed away 10 years ago. The other one, Luke McCloud, had not even argued in any courtroom before I got to Williams & Connolly. The numbers will not change unless we act instead of just talk."[32] As of 2019, all three partners in her firm's Supreme Court and appellate practice area were women: Blatt, Sarah Harris, and Amy Zaharia.[33] American Lawyer has called this all-female practice "an anomaly among its peers".[33]

Personal life

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Blatt is married to David Blatt, a fellow partner at Williams & Connolly who specializes in commercial litigation.[34] Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg officiated their wedding in 1995.[1] Blatt's father-in-law, Sidney Blatt, was a noted psychologist at Yale University.[35] Lisa and David Blatt have two children, who both attended Stanford Law School.[4] She is Jewish.[4]

Publications

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  • Lisa S. Blatt, In Front of the Burgundy Curtain, 14 Green Bag 2d 9 (2010).
  • Lisa Blatt, I’m a Liberal Feminist Lawyer. Here’s Why Democrats Should Support Judge Kavanaugh, Politico Magazine (August 2, 2018).
  • Lisa Blatt, Reflections of a Lady Lawyer, in Women & the Law 59 (2020) (joint publication of the top sixteen U.S. law reviews).

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e "Lisa Schiavo, David Blatt". New York Times. October 22, 1995. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 20, 2023.
  2. ^ Mauro, Tony (August 3, 2020). "Record-Breaking SCOTUS Advocate Lisa Blatt Talks Texas" (PDF). The Texas Lawbook. Retrieved February 20, 2023.
  3. ^ "Best Adversaries". Texas Law News. University of Texas School of Law. August 31, 2011. Retrieved February 20, 2023.
  4. ^ a b c Lat, David (December 14, 2022). "SCOTUS Bar Superstar: An Interview With Lisa Blatt". Original Jurisdiction. Substack. Retrieved February 20, 2023.
  5. ^ a b c d Castro, Melissa (November 16, 2009). "Arnold & Porter names Lisa Blatt to head appellate practice". Washington Business Journal. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
  6. ^ Blatt, Lisa (February 4, 2020). "Reflections of a Lady Lawyer". Texas Law Review. Retrieved April 6, 2024.
  7. ^ a b Greene, Jenna. "Daily Dicta: Why Supreme Court Star Lisa Blatt Left Arnold & Porter for Williams & Connolly". Litigation Daily | The American Lawyer. Retrieved April 6, 2024.
  8. ^ "Supreme Court and Appellate Partner Lisa Blatt Rejoins Williams & Connolly". Williams & Connolly. 2019. Retrieved January 26, 2021.
  9. ^ Hoover, Jimmy (January 28, 2019). "High Court Veteran Returns 'Home' To Williams & Connolly". Law360. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
  10. ^ "Lisa S. Blatt". Georgetown Law. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  11. ^ "Lisa S. Blatt". Stanford Law School.
  12. ^ Slifka Center (September 23, 2020). "The Supreme Court - Today An Insider's Perspective: A Slifka Salon with Lisa Blatt". YouTube.
  13. ^ a b c d Sherman, Mark (April 13, 2024). "Nearing 50 Supreme Court arguments in, lawyer Lisa Blatt keeps winning". Associated Press. Retrieved September 2, 2024.
  14. ^ "Lisa S. Blatt". Oyez Project. Retrieved April 15, 2024.
  15. ^ Sanchez, Brandon (May 21, 2020). "She Has Argued 40 Cases in Front of the Supreme Court. The Latest Was From Her Dining Room". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  16. ^ a b Wheeler, Lydia (April 19, 2024). "Fifty-Time Supreme Court Litigator Keeps Justices on Their Toes". Bloomberg Law.
  17. ^ Farivar, Masood (May 4, 2020). "US Supreme Court Justices 'Phone It In' for the First Time in Hearing a Case". Voice of America.
  18. ^ Broady, Gavin (October 28, 2014). "Arnold & Porter's Pugnacious Powerhouse: Lisa Blatt". Law360.
  19. ^ Barnes, Robert (April 29, 2020). "Supreme Court arguments resume next week, with all the grandeur of working from home". The Washington Post.
  20. ^ a b Jahner, Kyle; Brittain, Blake (June 30, 2020). "Supreme Court Affirms Validity of 'Booking.com' Trademark (1)". Bloomberg Law.
  21. ^ a b Breuninger, Kevin; Mangan, Dan (June 23, 2021). "Supreme Court rules for Pennsylvania cheerleader in school free speech case". CNBC.
  22. ^ Liptak, Adam (March 28, 2022). "Supreme Court to Hear Copyright Fight Over Andy Warhol's Images of Prince". The New York Times. Retrieved September 7, 2024.
  23. ^ a b c Totenberg, Nina (October 12, 2022). "Supreme Court dives into pop culture with Warhol, Prince and Norman Lear". NPR.
  24. ^ de Vogue, Ariane (May 18, 2023). "Supreme Court rules against Andy Warhol in copyright dispute over Prince portrait". CNN.
  25. ^ a b c Blatt, Lisa (August 2, 2018). "I'm a Liberal Feminist Lawyer. Here's Why Democrats Should Support Judge Kavanaugh". Politico Magazine. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  26. ^ a b c Confirmation Hearing on the Nomination of Hon. Brett M. Kavanaugh: Hearing Before the S. Comm. on the Judiciary. S. Hrg. No. 115-545, p. 107. September 4, 2018.
  27. ^ Sullivan, Casey (November 8, 2016). "Flash Poll! These Lawyers Voted for Hillary Clinton". Bloomberg Law. Archived from the original on November 10, 2016.
  28. ^ "Senator Collins Announces She Will Vote to Confirm Judge Kavanaugh | U.S. Senator Susan Collins of Maine". www.collins.senate.gov. October 5, 2018. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  29. ^ Meyer, Theodoric (December 4, 2020). "Progressive judicial group to Biden: Pick a Black woman for solicitor general". Politico. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  30. ^ Blatt, Lisa (2010). "In Front of the Burgundy Curtain: The Top Ten Lessons I've Learned About Advocacy Before the Nation's Highest Court" (PDF). The Green Bag.
  31. ^ Meyer, Theodoric; Raji, Tobi (October 30, 2022). "Historically diverse Supreme Court hears disproportionately from White lawyers". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  32. ^ Mauro, Tony (April 28, 2022). "Marble Palace Blog: Celebrated as a Top SCOTUS Advocate, Lisa Blatt Laments 'Appalling Disparity' Among Lawyers Before the Court". Law.com. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  33. ^ a b Greene, Jenna (April 17, 2019). "Daily Dicta: At Williams & Connolly, 'The Primordial, Motherly Instinct to Protect and Defend'". Law.com. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  34. ^ Olson, Elizabeth (January 31, 2019). "Some Attorneys Are Partners in Life, Partners in Practice". Bloomberg Law. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  35. ^ "In Memoriam: Sidney J. Blatt, PhD". Yale School of Medicine. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
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