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Russell Balikian

Russell
Balikian

Partner

CONTACT INFO

rbalikian@gibsondunn.com

TEL:+1 202.955.8535

FAX:+1 202.530.9542

Washington, D.C.

1050 Connecticut Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20036-5306 USA

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PRACTICE

Appellate and Constitutional Law Administrative Law and Regulatory Practice

BIOGRAPHY

Russell Balikian is a partner in the Washington, D.C. office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher.  He practices in the firm’s Appellate & Constitutional Law group and Administrative Law & Regulatory group.

Mr. Balikian has significant experience litigating high-stakes appeals in the U.S. Supreme Court, D.C. Circuit, and other courts across the country.  His practice focuses on appellate and constitutional litigation, with an emphasis on administrative law, telecommunications, and class-action defense.

Mr. Balikian has been involved in some of the most important appellate and administrative-law cases in recent years.  Representative matters include litigation over the FCC’s net-neutrality orders, the scope of immunity under Section 230 of the Communications Act, the deployment of 5G wireless networks, the T-Mobile–Sprint merger, the Dakota Access pipeline, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico’s debt-restructuring efforts, and the EPA’s Clean Power Plan.  He has a depth of experience challenging regulations and orders issued by administrative agencies, including the FCC, the FTC, and the CFPB.  Mr. Balikian also litigates cases under the First Amendment and has successfully represented authors seeking to publish important works free from prior restraints.  He has broad experience at every level of the federal judiciary, from pleadings and critical motions in the district courts to merits briefing and emergency applications in the Supreme Court and other courts of appeals.  He was named by Best Lawyers as a 2023 “One to Watch” in Appellate Practice.

Mr. Balikian has particular expertise in the telecom and tech industries.  His areas of specialty include net neutrality regulations and issues surrounding 5G deployment, liability for web-based platforms, mobile-device competition, and satellite-based broadband service.  He is known for his ability to translate intricate technical points into clear, powerful arguments well-suited for presentation to courts and agencies alike.

Mr. Balikian also has a proven record of success defending companies against high-profile class actions.  He has repeatedly secured complete dismissal and favorable rulings in cases involving major technology and financial companies—and defended those decisions on appeal.

Mr. Balikian clerked for Justice Clarence Thomas on the Supreme Court of the United States, Judge Gregory G. Katsas of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, and Judge Diane S. Sykes of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.  He received his law degree from Yale Law School, where he was Co-Editor-in-Chief of the Yale Law & Policy Review.  He graduated summa cum laude from Taylor University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in both Political Science and Biblical Literature.

Mr. Balikian is admitted to practice law in the District of Columbia.

EDUCATION

Yale University - 2012 Juris Doctor

Taylor University - 2009 Bachelor of Arts

ADMISSIONS

District of Columbia Bar

RECENT PUBLICATIONS

Client Alert - May 25, 2023 | Supreme Court Adopts “Continuous Surface Connection” Test For Whether Wetlands Are Covered By The Clean Water Act
Client Alert - May 18, 2023 | Supreme Court Rejects Antibody Drug Patent, Clarifies Patent “Enablement” Requirement
Article - April 21, 2023 | In Axon, Justices Continue Reining In Administrative State
Client Alert - April 14, 2023 | Supreme Court Holds That Federal District Courts Have Jurisdiction To Hear Structural Challenges To FTC And SEC
Press Releases - November 15, 2022 | Gibson Dunn Promotes 37 Lawyers to Partnership
Client Alert - April 21, 2022 | Supreme Court Holds That Regulation Applying Different Rules To Off-Premises Advertisements Is Content Neutral
Client Alert - January 24, 2022 | Supreme Court Holds That Investor Choice Does Not Categorically Preclude ERISA Claims For Breach Of Fiduciary Duty
Client Alert - July 1, 2021 | Supreme Court Holds That California’s Donor Disclosure Law Violates The First Amendment
Client Alert - June 25, 2021 | Supreme Court Upholds Broad Eligibility For Small Refineries Seeking Hardship Exemptions From Compliance With The EPA’s Renewable Fuel Standards
Client Alert - April 1, 2021 | Supreme Court Holds That FCC Permissibly Relaxed Media Ownership Limits
Client Alert - April 1, 2021 | Supreme Court Declines To Extend Telephone Consumer Protection Act’s Coverage Of Automatic Telephone Dialing Systems
Client Alert - November 30, 2016 | Tools of Transition: Procedural Devices That Could Help the President-Elect Implement His Agenda
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