Jeffrey L Fisher

Practice Areas

Appellate Litigation

Career

One of the nation’s leading U.S. Supreme Court practitioners and scholars, Jeffrey L. Fisher represents clients in high-stakes appellate matters across a wide range of civil and criminal issues. He has argued fifty cases before the Supreme Court—including cases involving the First, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Eighth, Tenth, and Fourteenth Amendments—and secured numerous landmark victories that have reshaped modern constitutional doctrine.

Jeff’s Supreme Court successes include the landmark cases Crawford v. Washington and Melendez-Diaz v. Massachusetts, in which he persuaded the Court to adopt a new approach to the Constitution’s Confrontation Clause. He also argued Riley v. California, which established foundational Fourth Amendment protections against unreasonable searches of digital information on smartphones, and Ramos v. Louisiana, which held that the constitutional right to a jury trial requires a unanimous verdict to convict. His broader appellate record includes major decisions involving the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the Clean Water Act, the reach of numerous federal crimes, and the ability to sue international organizations and human rights violators in United States courts. Jeff also served as co-counsel for the plaintiffs in Obergefell v. Hodges, in which the Court held that the Fourteenth Amendment guarantees same-sex couples the right to marry.

Jeff’s work has earned him widespread national recognition. He is nationally ranked in Appellate Law by Chambers and recognized by Legal 500 for his appellate advocacy before both federal and state supreme courts. His accolades include being named among the “500 Leading Litigators in America” by Lawdragon and “Lawyer of the Year – Appellate” by Best Lawyers. He has also been honored with the Robert C. Heeney Award, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers’ highest distinction.

In addition to his appellate work, Jeff serves on the Board of Directors of the Due Process Institute and on several committees of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. He also recently served on the Practitioners Committee of the Presidential Commission on the Supreme Court. Jeff has published numerous articles on constitutional and criminal law and frequently speaks before organizations including the National Association of Attorneys General, National Association of Federal Defenders, and at judicial conferences nationwide.

Since 2006, Jeff has been a Professor of Law at Stanford Law School and Co-Director of the Stanford Supreme Court Litigation Clinic. Prior to joining the firm, Jeff served as Special Counsel in the Supreme Court and Appellate Practice group of O’Melveny & Myers LLP. He clerked for U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens and Judge Stephen Reinhardt of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Jeff earned his J.D., Order of the Coif, from the University of Michigan Law School and his A.B. from Duke University.