ThinkProgress: One of the biggest legal guns in the country is coming for partisan gerrymandering

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So it’s a big deal that the Campaign Legal Center (CLC), which is litigating the Whitford case, just hired Paul Smith as its Vice President of Litigation and Strategy. Smith has argued 19 cases before the Supreme Court, including his victorious argument in Lawrence v. Texas, the landmark civil rights case striking down Texas’ anti-sodomy law. He is widely viewed as one of the best lawyers in the country, and as one of the most elite Supreme Court advocates.

Most significantly for Whitford, Smith also argued several major redistricting cases, including a 5–4 loss in the last wholesale challenge to partisan gerrymandering, Vieth v. JubelirerThere’s probably no attorney in the country with more experience confronting gerrymanders in the Supreme Court.

Smith’s move to CLC likely means that he will take a significant pay cut. As the National Law Journal notes, Smith previously was a partner at Jenner & Block, where partners “were being paid on average $1.7 million in 2015.”

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