Jeffrey L. Fisher

Biography

A leading authority on Supreme Court practice and nationally recognized expert on criminal procedure, Jeffrey L. Fisher’s work at the law school revolves around handling cases in the U.S. Supreme Court. He has argued 32 cases in the Court, on issues ranging from criminal procedure to maritime law to civil and human rights. Professor Fisher’s successes include the landmark cases of 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; Riley v. California, in which the Court for the first time applied the Fourth Amendment’s protections against unreasonable searches to digital information on smart phones; Blakely v. Washington, in which the Court held that the Sixth Amendment right to a jury trial applies to sentencing guidelines; and Kennedy v. Louisiana, in which the Court held that the Eighth Amendment prohibits states from imposing capital punishment for crimes against individuals that do not result in death. Professor Fisher was also co-counsel for the plaintiffs in Obergefell v. Hodges, in which the Court held that the Fourteenth Amendment guarantees same-sex couples a right to marry. In 2006, The National Law Journal named Professor Fisher one of the 100 most influential lawyers in America—the youngest person on the list. In addition to his teaching and practice concerning the Supreme Court, Professor Fisher has published numerous articles on various criminal and constitutional issues, and he currently is writing a treatise on the Confrontation Clause. Before joining the Stanford faculty, Professor Fisher co-chaired the appellate practice group of Davis Wright Tremaine. 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.

Research Interest

Civil Liberties, Constitutional Law, Criminal Law, Federal Courts & Federal Jurisdiction, Media & Press Law, Separation of Powers