Senior Attorney, Pacific Legal Foundation
Christina Martin is a Senior Attorney at Pacific Legal Foundation where she leads its initiative to end home equity theft—predatory tax-foreclosure laws that allow the government to take valuable homes and all equity in those homes as payment for debts as small as $8.
Christina's victories as lead counsel include Tyler v. Hennepin County in the U.S. Supreme Court, Hall v. Meisner in the Sixth Circuit, Rafaeli, LLC v. Oakland County in the Michigan Supreme Court, and New Mexico Farm & Livestock Bureau v. U.S. Department of the Interior in the Tenth Circuit. She also served as second chair in Knick v. Township of Scott, a landmark Supreme Court case that opened up the federal courthouse doors to takings plaintiffs.
Christina is admitted to the state bars of Washington, Oregon, and Florida, as well as a number of federal courts, including the Supreme Court of the United States. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Physics and a Bachelor of Arts in Communication from the University of Washington. She earned her J.D. from Ave Maria School of Law, where she was an editor of the Ave Maria Law Review.
Professor of Law, South Texas College of Law Houston
Josh Blackman is a national thought leader on constitutional law and the United States Supreme Court. Josh’s work was quoted during two presidential impeachment trials. He has testified before Congress and advises federal and state lawmakers. Josh regularly appears on TV, including NBC, CBS, ABC, Fox, and the BBC. Josh is also a frequent guest on NPR and other syndicated radio programs. He has published commentaries in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, and leading national publications.
Since 2012, Josh has served as a professor at the South Texas College of Law Houston. He holds the Centennial Chair of Constitutional Law. Josh is an Adjunct Fellow at the Manhattan Institute. Josh has written more than seven dozen law review articles that have been cited more than a thousand times. Josh was selected as the Jurist of the Year by the Texas Journal of Law & Public Policy, received the inaugural Meese III Originalism Award, and was awarded the Inaugural Joseph Story Award. Josh was selected by Forbes Magazine for the “30 Under 30” in Law and Policy. Josh is the President of the Harlan Institute, and founded FantasySCOTUS, the Internet’s Premier Supreme Court Fantasy League. He blogs at the Volokh Conspiracyand posts@JoshMBlackman.
Partner, Barr & Klein PLLC
Steve Klein, a partner at Barr & Klein PLLC, is an experienced free speech attorney who has successfully fought for the First Amendment rights of his clients against local, state and federal regulators. As a lobbyist, Steve’s advocacy has led to the successful amendment of state laws to respect political engagement and prevented the enactment of laws that burden it. Steve has published articles in several legal journals, and his commentary has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Times, The Detroit News, and other outlets. Steve earned a bachelors degree in politics at Hillsdale College and a law degree from Ave Maria School of Law, where he served as Managing Editor of the Ave Maria Law Review. He is licensed to practice law in the District of Columbia, Illinois and Michigan.
Alida graduated from Duke University with a degree in history and earned her J.D. from the Georgetown University Law Center.
Vice President for Litigation, Institute for Free Speech
Alan joined the Institute for Free Speech as Vice President for Litigation in February 2021. In this role, Alan directs the Institute’s litigation and legal advocacy, leads our in-house legal team, and manages and works to expand our network of volunteer attorneys.
Prior to joining the Institute, Alan litigated complex federal matters for twenty years, in his own practice and as a partner in various Washington-area firms. He argued and won landmark constitutional cases in the United States Supreme Court and has appeared before numerous appellate and district courts throughout the country. Alan often speaks at law schools and continuing legal education seminars. He also teaches strategic/public interest litigation as an adjunct professor at the Georgetown University Law Center.
Alan began his career clerking for the Hon. Terrence W. Boyle, United States District Judge for the Eastern District of North Carolina. He has also served as a Deputy Attorney General for the State of California, a litigation associate at the Washington office of Sidley Austin, and as counsel to the United States Senate Judiciary Committee.
Alan earned his J.D. at Georgetown (1995) and his B.A. at Cornell University (1992). He is an active member in good standing of the Virginia, District of Columbia, and California bars, the Bar of the United States Supreme Court, and various federal appellate and district court bars.
Judge, United States Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit
Andrew Oldham is a Circuit Judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Before ascending to the bench, Judge Oldham served as General Counsel to Texas Governor Greg Abbott, where he advised the Governor on a range of issues under federal and state law and managed litigation in which the Governor was an interested party. Before that he served as Deputy Solicitor General for the State of Texas, where he represented Texas in federal courts across the country, including twice before the United States Supreme Court. Before moving to Texas, Judge Oldham was an attorney at Kellogg Hansen Todd Figel & Frederick in Washington, D.C. His practice focused on appellate litigation in federal courts of appeals throughout the country. Before entering private practice, Judge Oldham served as a law clerk to Justice Samuel A. Alito, Jr., at the Supreme Court of the United States and to Judge David B. Sentelle of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. He also worked as an attorney-adviser in the Office of Legal Counsel at the U.S. Department of Justice from 2006 to 2008. Judge Oldham earned a B.A. from the University of Virginia with highest honors, a Truman Scholarship for graduate school, an M. Phil., first class (with distinction), from Cambridge University, and a J.D., magna cum laude, from Harvard Law School.
Bogorff v. Scott
Christina Martin
In Bogorff v. Scott, the Florida Supreme Court revealed the difficulty many property owners face when...
Docket Watch: Bogorff v. Scott
In Bogorff v. Scott, the Florida Supreme Court revealed the difficulty many property owners face...
Virginia Supreme Court, Governor Clash Over Felons' Voting Rights
On July 22, 2016, the Supreme Court of Virginia issued a historic decision invalidating Virginia...
Topics
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Governor Deal's veto is not entirely unexpected, but it is no less disappointing for it. Political...
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Josh Blackman
Note from the Editor: This article discusses the legality of possible executive actions if the...
800 Years of Liberty Under Law
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Stephen R. Klein
In its 2013 General Session, the Wyoming Legislature passed Senate File 104, or Senate Enrolled...
New Jersey Supreme Court Strikes Down Reorganization of the Council on Affordable Housing
Alida Kass
In a highly anticipated decision, the New Jersey Supreme Court rejected Governor Chris Christie’s attempt...
Separation of Powers in Florida: Recent Developments
Tampa, Florida