Event 14 Oct. 2022
Curtis Provides Capacity Training to the Government of Uganda
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Event 21 Sep. 2022
Kalidou Gadio Speaks at AIEN 2022 International Energy Summit
News 16 Dec. 2022
Curtis Trade Team is top ranked in Chambers Asia-Pacific 2023
Event 06 Dec. 2022
George Kahale Lectures on "Key Issues Facing States in ISDS" at Rashtriya Raksha University
News 27 Jan. 2023
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News 09 Dec. 2022
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Event 22 Nov. 2022
Elisa Botero and Fernando Tupa to speak at the XVI International Congress of Arbitration in Lima, Perú
Event 02 Nov. 2022
Claudia Frutos-Peterson Speaks at the Universidad Externado de Colombia’s 6th Conference on National and International Arbitration
News 27 Sep. 2022
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News 16 Aug. 2022
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Event 08 Nov. 2022
Simon Batifort and Andrew Larkin Speak at the 2022 ASIL Midyear Meeting
Client Alert 30 Aug. 2022
The EU Adopts the “Maintenance and Alignment” Sanctions Package
Client Alert 20 Jul. 2022
The EU Undertakes Fundamental Reform of the Legal Basis for Sanctions Enforcement
Client Alert 24 Jun. 2021
Update on Virtual Notarization (Executive Order 202.7) During the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) Pandemic (Updated: June 24, 2021) — U.S. Insight
Update on Virtual Witnessing (New York Executive Order 202.14) During The COVID-19 (Coronavirus) Pandemic (Updated: June 24, 2021) — U.S. Insight
News 19 Aug. 2022
Acting as pro bono counsel, Curtis filed an amicus brief in the U.S. Supreme Court in 303 Creative v. Elenis, a case in which the Court will consider whether a business that offers custom wedding websites to the general public may use free speech as a justification for refusing to sell those websites to same-sex couples in violation of anti-discrimination laws. The lead amici are Adventist Forum, a nonprofit committed to promoting conversation on contemporary issues within the Seventh-day Adventist Church, and Seventh-day Adventist Kinship International, Inc., a nonprofit dedicated to creating a safe social and spiritual community for current and former LGBTQ Adventists and allies. Both organizations include members who believe that marriage—whether of opposite- or same-sex couples—is sacred and that respecting the right of same-sex couples to marry is consistent with religious freedom.
“We’re truly honored to present amici’s perspective on marriage to the Supreme Court and to relay their concern that allowing discrimination against same-sex couples actually undermines religious freedom and opens the door to other forms of harmful discrimination,” said Curtis partner Juan Perla, who led the Curtis appellate team in this effort. Other members of the team included partner Hermann Ferré and associates Nathaniel Ament-Stone, Kaitlyn Devenyns, Aubre Dean, and Allesandra Tyler.
Petitioners (303 Creative LLC and its owner, Lorie Smith) claim that Colorado’s Anti-Discrimination Act (CADA) compels them to “endorse” or “celebrate” same-sex marriage in violation of the First Amendment’s Free Speech Clause. Smith also wishes to post a statement on her website stating that she will not create websites for same-sex marriages. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit held that CADA did not impermissibly infringe on free spech.
Curtis’s amicus brief supports affirming that judgment, arguing that CADA and similar federal and state anti-discrimination laws further compelling state interests in promoting religious pluralism and tolerance by prohibiting discrimination against same-sex couples both because of their sexual orientation and their religious beliefs about marriage. Moreover, CADA does not compel any particular message; it only prohibits the denial of service on protected grounds, leaving commercial artists like petitioners free to express their beliefs through their designs and allowing customers to decide whether they wish to engage those design services. The brief was joined by 31 individuals who are current or former ministers (or their spouses), professors, or administrators in the Adventist church or affiliated institutions.
“Thanks to the Curtis team, this marks an historic first opportunity for a group of LGBTQ Seventh-day Adventists and their allies to defend a broad spectrum of minority rights at this level,” said Alexander Carpenter, Executive Director of Adventist Forum. “I’m proud that this amicus brief makes the case that diversity and equal treatment enrich our body politic. More than an argument against fear, this document is a guide toward a strong future for individual rights and institutional growth.”
Click here to read the brief on the Supreme Court's website.
Appellate Litigation
Juan Perla
Partner
Hermann Ferré
Kaitlyn T. Devenyns
Associate
Aubre G. Dean
New York
+1 212 696 6000
Washington, D.C.
+1 202 452 7373
News 18 Jan. 2023
Simon Batifort and Andrew Larkin Publish “The Meaning of Silence in Investment Treaties” in the ICSID Review
Event 12 Jan. 2023
Dr. Claudia Frutos-Peterson to Speak at the Fifth Annual Schiefelbein Global Dispute Resolution Conference
News 21 Dec. 2022
Borzu Sabahi gives presentation on choice of forum clauses in investment contracts in conference organized by National University of Mongolia (NUM)
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