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Eric Grant Senior Counsel, Hicks Thomas LLP

Education: University of California, Berkeley (A.B., 1986; J.D., 1990); Judicial Clerkships, Hon. Edith H. Jones, United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, and Hon. Warren E. Burger (ret.) and Hon. Clarence Thomas, Supreme Court of the United States.

Areas of Specialty: Appellate Law; Environmental Law & Land Use; Civil Rights; Campaigns and Elections; Religious Liberties

Representative Cases/Clients:

• Osborn v. Haley, 549 U.S. 225 (2007):  Drafted the successful petition for certiorari and argued for petitioner in this dispute involving the Westfall Act, a procedural component of the Federal Tort Claims Act.
• John Doe v. Kamehameha Schools, 470 F.3d 827 (9th Cir. 2006) (en banc), cert. dismissed, 127 S. Ct. 2160 (2007):
  Argued before 15 judges of the Ninth Circuit and filed a petition for certiorari that induced a favorable settlement for the client, a student challenging a “Native Hawaiians-only” school admissions policy.
• Bighorn-Desert View Water Agency v. Verjil, 39 Cal. 4th 205, 128 P.3d 220 (2006): Won a unanimous decision in the California Supreme Court establishing the right of ratepayers to lower, by means of voter initiative, the utility rates charged by public agencies.
• Palazzolo v. Rhode Island, 533 U.S. 606 (2001):  Drafted the successful petition for certiorari in this regulatory takings case.

Accomplishments/Honors: Certified Specialist in Appellate Law, as certified by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization; Master, Schwartz/Levi American Inn of Court (UC Davis); author of scholarly articles on constitutional law that have appeared in the Northwestern University Law Review, in Constitutional Commentary, and in The Heritage Guide to the Constitution; American Jurisprudence Awards in Contracts and Constitutional Law.

Direct Line: 916.691.0362
Email: grant@hicks-thomas.com