description Roberta Kaplan Overview
Roberta Kaplan is an American lawyer who founded the litigation firm Kaplan Hecker & Fink in 2017 after a long career at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison. She argued United States v. Windsor before the U.S. Supreme Court in 2013, successfully challenging Section 3 of the federal Defense of Marriage Act.
Her practice has focused on civil rights, commercial litigation, and cases involving discrimination and hate groups, including litigation against organizers of the 2017 Charlottesville rally. She later represented writer E. Jean Carroll in defamation proceedings against Donald Trump.
help Roberta Kaplan FAQ
What did Roberta Kaplan argue in United States v. Windsor?
Kaplan represented Edith Windsor, who had been denied the federal estate-tax treatment available to a surviving spouse because her spouse was a woman. In 2013, the Supreme Court invalidated the federal Defense of Marriage Act provision that defined marriage as opposite-sex only.
How did the Windsor case differ from Obergefell v. Hodges?
United States v. Windsor concerned federal recognition of marriages already valid under state law. Obergefell v. Hodges came two years later and established a nationwide constitutional right for same-sex couples to marry.
Whom did Roberta Kaplan represent in the E. Jean Carroll cases?
Kaplan represented writer E. Jean Carroll in civil litigation against Donald Trump. New York juries returned verdicts for Carroll in separate proceedings involving sexual abuse, defamation, and damages.
What law firm did Roberta Kaplan establish?
Kaplan founded Kaplan Hecker & Fink after leaving Paul, Weiss in 2017. The firm became known for commercial litigation, public-interest cases, and investigations.
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