{"id":5645,"date":"2024-06-12T18:50:07","date_gmt":"2024-06-13T01:50:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/center-for-political-future\/?page_id=5645"},"modified":"2025-05-20T15:16:53","modified_gmt":"2025-05-20T22:16:53","slug":"jeff-blattner","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/center-for-political-future\/fellows-program\/former-fellows\/jeff-blattner\/","title":{"rendered":"Jeff Blattner"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n \n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
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\n Fall 2024 Fellow\n <\/h2>\n\n\n<\/div>\n \n \n
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Jeff Blattner is a special assistant attorney general with the Colorado Department of Justice and a senior fellow at the Silicon Flatirons Center for Law, Technology and Entrepreneurship of the University of Colorado.<\/p>\n

Jeff has had a rich history with the Supreme Court, where he was a law clerk for Associate Justice Potter Stewart (retired) of the U.S.Supreme Court (1982-1983), and also worked for Justices Sandra Day O\u2019Connor, William Brennan, Harry Blackmun, and Lewis Powell during that period.<\/p>\n

From 1987 through 1995, Jeff was on the Senate Judiciary Committee staff of Senator Edward Kennedy, serving as Senator Kennedy’s chief counsel from 1992-95. He worked on six Supreme Court nominations (Bork, Kennedy, Souter, Thomas, Ginsberg and Breyer), and was the staff lead on two major civil rights laws, the Fair Housing Amendments Act of 1988 and the Civil Rights Act of 1991.<\/p>\n

Jeff has discussed Supreme Court nominations in many forums, including the the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the U.S. Senate and PBS Frontline. Jeff\u2019s essay on nominees\u2019 appearances before the Judiciary Committee, The Nominee\u2019s Fifth Amendment, was cited in testimony before the Presidential Commission on the Supreme Court of the United States. Jeff also served on the presidential transitions of Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton.<\/p>\n

From 1998 through January 2001, Jeff was deputy assistant attorney general and special counsel for information technology in the Antitrust Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, where he oversaw the landmark Microsoft antitrust case for Assistant Attorney General Joel Klein. From 2001 to 2019, Jeff provided legal advice and strategic consulting services to technology companies and other businesses, government agencies, educational institutions and nonprofit organizations.<\/p>\n

Jeff has served as a member of the adjunct faculty at the University of Colorado Law School, the Georgetown University Law Center, and the American University Washington College of Law, where for six years he taught a course with Rep. Jamie Raskin.<\/p>\n

A Pittsburgh native and graduate of the Pittsburgh Public Schools, the University of Pennsylvania, and Harvard Law School, Jeff recently concluded his term as Board Chair of HIAS, a Jewish humanitarian organization that works in the United States and 20 other countries, providing vital services to refugees and asylum seekers of all faiths.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n\n\n\n <\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n \n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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Study Group: The Supreme Court In American Politics <\/strong><\/p>\n

Chief Justice John Roberts famously claimed that a Supreme Court Justice\u2019s job is \u201cto call balls and strikes, and not to pitch or bat.\u201d Yet today, the Supreme Court is seen less as an umpire, and more as an active player in the game of American politics, with decisions shaping American elections and touching the most personal decisions in Americans\u2019 lives. At a time when the Court\u2019s approval ratings are near historic lows, this study group explored the Court\u2019s powerful role in American politics and the role of politics in the decisions of the Supreme Court.<\/p>\n

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Fall 2024 Semester Recap<\/h3>\n
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Group Photo of CPF Fellow Jeff Blattner’s Fall 2024 Study Group<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Jeff Blattner said this about his experience at USC\u2019s Center for the Political Future: “I had a great opportunity to engage with bright, motivated, and positive students and interesting colleagues in a relaxed and supportive setting at a first-rate institution. CPF is a stimulating setting in which to interact with seasoned political minds and terrific young people and to reflect about the state of our politics and what can be done to give the next generation a brighter future. The best part was having the chance to engage with the students who participate in CPF\u2019s programs. They are bright, thoughtful, positive, and interested in politics for all the right reasons.”<\/p>\n

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USC students in Jeff’s study group shared this about their experience:<\/p>\n

“Jeff Blattner\u2019s study group focused on the modern challenges uniquely facing our Supreme Court and the U.S. legal system as a whole. Through Jeff\u2019s long-time legal expertise and that of his speakers, I was able to better understand the legal precedent\u2014or lack thereof\u2014of this court and what can be done to moderate the body. Jeff brought in an all-star crew of attorneys to discuss how the Court works and where it might go in the future.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Will Erens, Political Economy<\/p>\n

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“I gained valuable insight into the history of the Supreme Court, its inner workings, and its predicted future. It was such a privilege to converse with Jeff and his special guests, and to learn from their decades-long wisdom from working with the SCOTUS. This was my favorite part of the study group!”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Maya Tauber, Cognitive Science<\/p>\n

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Jeff shared his thoughts on the importance of politics, his first political experience, his advice for having respectful political discourse, and what he appreciates about CPF in his \u201cQuick Takes: Q&A with CPF Fellow Jeff Blattner<\/a>\u201d video.<\/p>\n