Jenner & Block - Supreme Court Practice

Supreme Court Practice

Jenner & Block was one of the first national law firms to establish a Washington D.C. practice specifically focused on appeals before the U.S. Supreme Court. It was once headed by Bruce Ennis, Jr., now deceased, who argued more than a dozen cases before the Supreme Court during his career, including an unprecedented three cases arising under different provisions of the same law, the landmark Telecommunications Act of 1996, see Reno, Turner, and Iowa Utilities Board cases below. The appellate practice is currently led by Paul M. Smith. A number of lawyers in the Washington D.C. office are former clerks to the Supreme Court. Prominent cases argued by Jenner & Block attorneys before the Supreme Court include:

• Barnes v. Glen Theatre, Inc. (considering the free speech implications of nudity)
• Morrison v. Olson (independent counsel law)
• AT&T v. Iowa Utilities Board (landmark telecommunications law case),
• FCC v. Nextwave (multi-billion dollar appeal of bankruptcy ruling),
• Reno v. ACLU (indecency on the Internet),
• Turner Broadcasting System v. FCC (constitutionality of Cable Act)
• Wiggins v. Maryland (death penalty case),
• Lawrence v. Texas (constitutionality of law criminalizing homosexual sodomy),
• MGM Studios v. Grokster (landmark case on copyright laws in cyberspace).