SamHirsch

Jenner & Block advised its client Constellation Energy in connection with a historic $340 million settlement agreement reached by the State of Maryland, Constellation, and local environment groups to secure the re-licensing and continued operation of the Conowingo Hydroelectric Project on the Susquehanna River, the largest source of renewable energy in the state.

Jenner & Block has maintained its top spot as the leader in pro bono service, earning the No. 1 ranking nationwide and internationally on The American Lawyer’s 2025 Pro Bono Scorecard. This recognition underscores the firm's commitment to our values, advancing justice and expanding access to legal services through our pro bono work. 

Chambers USA 2025 has recognized Jenner & Block’s Washington, DC office as a hub of legal excellence, with 27 individual lawyers ranked across 16 key practice areas. 

With the 24th edition of The Heart of the Matter, we celebrate an important milestone in our ongoing commitment to pro bono service. In 2024, Jenner & Block exceeded $100 million in pro bono for the first time, surpassing our five-year goal of $250 million in free legal services 18 months ahead of schedule. Four years into our 5-year, $250 million commitment, we have already contributed more than $305 million in pro bono services.

On June 28, 2024, the Supreme Court issued its long-awaited decisions in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo and Relentless v. Department of Commerce—overruling the 40-year-old Chevron doctrine. The opinion is likely to set off a wave of litigation across multiple areas of the law. However, it remains an open question of how drastic an impact this decision will have on tribal interests. Because the Indian canon of construction already requires construing ambiguous statutes in favor of tribes, t

On behalf of the Brennan Center, Campaign Legal Center, the Protect Democracy Project, and the League of Women Voters, a Jenner & Block team filed an amicus brief in the case of Donald J. Trump v. Norma Anderson where Donald Trump asked the US Supreme Court to reverse a Colorado ruling barring him from the state’s primary ballot. The brief explains the “legal errors in Petitioner’s reading of Moore v. Harper and the threats that erroneous reading presents to free, fair, accessible, and workable

Jenner & Block’s Election Law and Redistricting Practice secured two major victories in the highest courts of New York and Wisconsin this month. In both matters, judges ordered that new electoral maps be drawn in time for the 2024 elections.

The New York Court of Appeals sided with three clients who belong to the state’s Independent Redistricting Commission (IRC) and ruled that the IRC should fulfil its constitutionally mandated duty. In its opinion, the four-judge majority held that the IRC should submit to the legislature a new congressional redistricting plan by February 28, 2024.

In honor of US Pro Bono Week, Jenner & Block is celebrating and shining a spotlight on the impactful work our lawyers do to help preserve and strengthen American democracy. We are committed to advocating for free elections, fair and equitable districting maps, and a government that reflects the will of the people.

The National Law Journal turned to Partner Sam Hirsch for his insights about amicus briefs that make an impact on the US Supreme Court. Along with Partner Jessie Amunson and Associate Mary Marshall, Sam wrote an amicus brief in Allen v. Milligan, in which the state of Alabama argued that it did not have to create a second majority-Black district to comply with the Voting Rights Act. Sam explained to The NLJ that the Jenner team collaborated with computational redistricting experts to break down

In August, a federal court granted partial summary judgment in favor of civil rights groups who filed a lawsuit against Senate Bill 1 (SB 1), a Texas law that has disenfranchised voters. Senate Bill 1 requires mail voters to provide an ID number that matches the number contained in their voter file, which is maintained in a Texas voter registration database that contains incorrect and missing information. The district court ruled that the matching requirement violates the Materiality Provision o

New York’s Independent Redistricting Commission (IRC) has been ordered to submit a second set of congressional maps to the state legislature in accordance with the constitutional process adopted by New York voters in 2014. The decision of the state’s Supreme Court, Appellate Division, Third Judicial Department aligns with arguments of a Jenner team that represented three members of the IRC who agreed with this plan.

The US Supreme Court today delivered a “complete victory” to our clients and affirmed the 2022 decision of the North Carolina Supreme Court in Moore v. Harper, a consolidation of three cases stemming from North Carolina’s redistricting process.

Last summer, a Jenner & Block team filed an amicus brief in the US Supreme Court on behalf of computational redistricting experts in support of Black voters in Allen v. Milligan. In a 5-4 decision earlier this month, the Supreme Court decided that the map adopted by Alabama for its 2022 congressional elections violated Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, a huge win in protecting minority voting rights. Even though Black residents constitute more than 27% of the state’s total population, the map

Partners Jessie Ring Amunson and Sam Hirsch have represented the North Carolina League of Conservation Voters for the last two years in state and federal cases challenging North Carolina’s gerrymandered congressional and state-legislative redistricting plans. On May 24, the NCLCV honored them with its “Catalyst Award,” which is presented to “someone with a long history and/or strong commitment to serving the public, protecting environmental quality, standing up for North Carolinians, or defendin

On February 8, Jenner & Block filed an amicus brief in the US Supreme Court on behalf of leading historians in support of the Navajo Nation in Arizona v. Navajo Nation. The case concerns the Nation’s efforts to enforce the United States’ treaty-based duty to assess and meet the Nation’s water needs.

On December 7, 2022, the United States Supreme Court heard argument in Moore v. Harper, a consolidation of three cases stemming from North Carolina’s redistricting process.

Today, Jenner & Block filed a Supreme Court brief in Moore v. Harper, continuing its advocacy for free and fair election maps on behalf of its client, the North Carolina League of Conservation Voters.

On June 30, the US Supreme Court granted writ of certiorari in Moore v. Harper, a case arising from the North Carolina General Assembly’s efforts to gerrymander new congressional maps. Jenner & Block represents the North Carolina League of Conservation Voters in its fight for free maps and fair elections, in opposition to the General Assembly’s efforts. 

The District of Columbia Courts, in partnership with the DC Access to Justice Commission and the DC Bar Pro Bono Center, announced their 2021 Capital Pro Bono Honor Roll honorees. Thirty-nine Jenner & Block lawyers were recognized in this year’s class for contributing 50 hours or more of pro bono service to those who cannot afford legal counsel. Thirty-one lawyers achieved the High Honor distinction for providing 100 hours or more.