A nationally known elections law attorney and authority on voting rights and redistricting has formed his own law firm so he can devote more time to these matters.
Marc Elias is leaving the blue-chip law firm of Perkins Coie where he headed its Washington, D.C.-based Political Law Group to form Elias Law Group. Ten Perkins Coie partners and three counsel also are joining Elias’ firm, which will be based in D.C. Rebecca Gordon will now head Perkins Coie’s political law group.
“The formation of Elias Law Group will allow us to more fully engage in representing our clients in the political process at this unique moment in history,” Elias said in a statement. He also noted that the firm will be able to expand its advocacy by “engaging more directly in the political and electoral process.” The firm will work closely with Perkins Coie on key voting rights issues.
During his time at Perkins Cole, Elias built a national reputation litigating voting rights cases. He represented the Democratic party last year in more than 100 pre-and post-election lawsuits stemming from the 2020 election. His litigation work took him to Georgia where, in March, he brought a suit against Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger over the state’s new voting reform law. Filed hours after SB 202, also called The Election Integrity Act of 2021, passed, the suit alleged parts of the new law create significant and unnecessary hurdles for voters — particularly those of color. It also alleged the law violates the Voting Rights Act and the First and 14th Amendments of the U.S. Constitution.
“These provisions lack any justification for their burdensome and discriminatory effects on voting. Instead, they represent a hodgepodge of unnecessary restrictions that target almost every aspect of the voting process but serve no legitimate purpose or compelling state interest other than to make absentee, early and election-day voting more difficult – especially for minority voters.”
Excerpt from New Georgia Project et al lawsuit against Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger
The lawsuit was brought on behalf of the New Georgia Project, Black Voters Matter Fund and Rise Inc. Elias continues to litigate voting rights cases in Florida, Texas and other states. In 2020, Elias also founded Democracy Docket, an advocacy site addressing voting rights issues.
Want to keep track of voting rights-related lawsuits around the country? Check out Democracy Docket or the Brennan Center for Justice Voting Rights Tracker.
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