History of Lisa Blatt in Timeline

Lisa Schiavo Blatt is a prominent American lawyer, renowned for her extensive Supreme Court advocacy. With 52 arguments before the Supreme Court as of November 2024, she holds the record for the most arguments by a woman in U.S. history. She's a partner at Williams & Connolly, chairing their Supreme Court and appellate practice. Her career includes prior roles as an appellate lawyer within the U.S. government's Office of the Solicitor General and as chair of the Supreme Court and appellate practice at Arnold & Porter.

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Full Timeline

1969: Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District mentioned

In 2021, during the Mahanoy Area School District v. B.L. case, 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.

1984: Vanity Fair used Lynn Goldsmith's photograph as a reference by Andy Warhol

In 1984, Lynn Goldsmith licensed a photograph of Prince to Vanity Fair for use as a reference by Andy Warhol in creating an image to accompany an article about Prince.

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1986: Graduated from the University of Texas at Austin

In 1986, Lisa Blatt graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Texas at Austin.

1989: Law Clerk for Judge Ruth Bader Ginsburg

In 1989, Lisa Blatt became a law clerk for Judge Ruth Bader Ginsburg of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

1989: Graduated from the University of Texas School of Law

In 1989, Lisa Blatt graduated summa cum laude with a Juris Doctor from the University of Texas School of Law.

1990: Private practice at Williams & Connolly

In 1990, Lisa Blatt entered private practice in Washington, D.C. at Williams & Connolly.

1993: Moved to the General Counsel's Office at the Department of Energy

In 1993, Lisa Blatt moved to the General Counsel's Office at the Department of Energy.

1995: Married David Blatt

In 1995, Lisa Blatt married David Blatt, a fellow partner at Williams & Connolly. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg officiated their wedding.

1996: Worked in the Office of the Solicitor General

From 1996, Lisa Blatt worked in the Office of the Solicitor General as an assistant to the solicitor general.

2003: Mentioned the year 2003

In 2022, Lisa Blatt noted that only two black men from private practice have argued before the Supreme Court since 2003.

2009: Worked for the Federal Trade Commission and moved to Arnold & Porter

In 2009, Lisa Blatt worked for the Federal Trade Commission for most of the year and then moved into private practice at Arnold & Porter, where she was a partner at the firm and chaired its Supreme Court and appellate practice.

2016: Voted for Hillary Clinton

During the 2016 election day, Lisa Blatt stated that she voted for Hillary Clinton early.

2016: Warhol Foundation licensed Orange Prince to Vanity Fair

In 2016, the Warhol Foundation licensed one of the paintings, Orange Prince, to Vanity Fair for use as the cover image for an issue commemorating Prince, leading to a copyright infringement suit.

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August 2, 2018: Endorsed Brett Kavanaugh's nomination to the Supreme Court

On August 2, 2018, Lisa 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. She introduced Kavanaugh at his Senate confirmation hearing.

2019: Williams & Connolly all-female practice

As of 2019, all three partners in Lisa Blatt's firm's Supreme Court and appellate practice area were women: Blatt, Sarah Harris, and Amy Zaharia. American Lawyer has called this all-female practice "an anomaly among its peers".

2019: Returned to Williams & Connolly

In 2019, Lisa Blatt returned to Williams & Connolly as chair of its Supreme Court and appellate practice.

2020: Argued Patent and Trademark Office v. Booking.com B. V.

In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Lisa Blatt argued Patent and Trademark Office v. Booking.com B. V. before the Supreme Court, which was the first remote oral argument in the Court's history. Blatt argued against the USPTO's position that "Booking.com" was too generic to be a registrable trademark. The Supreme Court ruled for Booking.com.

2021: Represented a school district in Mahanoy Area School District v. B.L.

In 2021, Lisa Blatt represented a school district in Mahanoy Area School District v. B.L., arguing that schools have a special interest in preventing speech that disrupts school activities. The Supreme Court ruled against the school district.

2022: Advocated for more racial diversity

In 2022, Lisa Blatt advocated for more racial diversity in the pool of lawyers arguing before the Supreme Court, noting the lack of Black men from private practice who have argued since 2003.

2023: Represented Lynn Goldsmith in Warhol Foundation case

In 2023, Lisa Blatt represented photographer Lynn Goldsmith in Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc. v. Goldsmith, a copyright infringement suit related to a photograph of Prince. The Supreme Court ruled for Goldsmith.

April 2024: Won more than 80% of cases argued before the Supreme Court

As of April 2024, Lisa Blatt has argued 52 cases before the Supreme Court, winning in more than 80% of the cases.

November 5, 2024: Arguing before the Supreme Court 52 times

As of November 5, 2024, Lisa Blatt has argued before the Supreme Court of the United States 52 times, making her the woman with the most arguments before the Supreme Court in U.S. history.

November 2024: Cases argued before the Supreme Court

As of November 2024, Lisa Blatt has argued numerous cases before the Supreme Court.

2025: Lobbied Justice Department to drop lawsuit

In 2025, Lisa Blatt lobbied the Justice Department to drop a lawsuit alleging sexual abuse by employees of Southwest Key Programs, a company housing unaccompanied migrant children.