Carter Phillips speaks at Washington DC Super Lawyers event
Carter Phillips and Cindy Larson engaging in discussion at the Super Lawyers event in Washington DC on May 15
On May 15, 2014 Super Lawyers hosted a reception which was attended by 300 attorneys selected to the 2014 Washington DC Super Lawyers lists. In advance of the reception there was a Q&A with Carter Phillips, the Chair of Sidley Austin’s Executive Committee and member of the Super Lawyers Advisory Board. Phillips has argued more cases in front of the U.S. Supreme Court than any attorney in private practice – 78 and counting. The lively, engaging, and entertaining discussion was moderated by Cindy Larson, the publisher of Super Lawyers, and there were many questions from the attendees. Phillips shared insights about his time clerking with Chief Justice Warren Burger, working at the Solicitor General’s office with Rex Lee, his friendship with Justice Samuel Alito, changes in the Court, and tips for appellate practitioners and young lawyers.
One highlight was the discussion regarding FCC v. Fox Television. Phillips represented Fox Television in the case over “fleeting expletives.” He told the group about “dropping the F-bomb” in his argument before the Second Circuit but keeping it PG before the Supreme Court at the request of the Court. He also brought a huge laugh to the crowd by sharing that his mom called him after the televised Second Circuit argument and scolded him for using such language, to which he replied “I learned it from Dad.”
