WilmerHale Partner David Bowker Recognized for Supreme Court Victory

• 7.24.2013

WilmerHale Partner David Bowker was highlighted in a Legal Bisnow article for his victory in USAID  v. Alliance for Open Society, a significant First Amendment case decided by the Supreme Court of the United States on June 20, 2013.

Legal Bisnow, an online news source regarding the legal industry, published the story "Meet a Supreme Court Winner" on July 10, 2013. The article highlighted Bowker's "first Supreme Court argument" and provided background on the case along with a detailed description of the significance of the Court's decision. It reported, "[i]n a decision handed down by the Chief Justice, the court ruled that the government can't compel organizations to affirm a belief that's outside the scope of a government program in exchange for federal funding."

Also included in the article was that the Supreme Court victory came "after more than seven years of litigation. At the heart of the Court's decision, David says, is the 'one-two punch' that 1) the First Amendment doesn't allow the government to force people to pledge allegiance to government policy, and 2) restrictions on speech are allowed only within the bounds of the government program." 

Photo by Roksana Slavinsky of Legal Bisnow