Financial Times has recognized Morrison & Foerster in the Rule of Law and Access to Justice category in its FT 2019 North America Innovative Lawyers Report. MoFo’s pro bono team, led by partners David Cross, Joe Palmore, and John Carlin, was commended for its representation of Georgia voters in a federal lawsuit filed against state officials on a groundbreaking claim: that maintaining an unsecured, all-electronic voting system with no paper back-up violates the right to vote.
On August 15, 2019, the federal lawsuit over the cybersecurity of Georgia’s voting systems reached a crucial milestone, with the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia ordering several measures toward securing the state’s elections. Judge Amy Totenberg handed a victory to Morrison & Foerster’s pro bono clients, a group of Georgia citizens, in an opinion that outlined serious issues with the outdated and vulnerable voting system.
The ruling prohibits Georgia from using an all-electronic voting system with no independent paper record because it likely violates the constitutional right to vote in today’s environment of sophisticated election interference. The court further ordered that the state fix its egregiously unreliable electronic voter registration database. The suit was filed in 2017 after state officials ignored multiple breaches of the Georgia voting system through its public website that revealed its vulnerability to cyberattack. The case is Curling v. Raffensperger, No. 17-CV-2989-AT (N.D. Ga.)
In partnership with RSG Consulting, founder of the report and award series, FT 2019 North America Innovative Lawyers Report is dedicated to recognizing the most innovative lawyers, private practices, and in-house legal departments in North America. Morrison & Foerster is honored to have been commended for its significant work in the area of Rule of Law and Access to Justice.