Amir C. Tayrani

Amir C. Tayrani is a partner in Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher’s Washington, D.C. office. He practices in the firm’s Litigation Department and is a member of the Appellate and Constitutional Law Practice Group and the Administrative Law and Regulatory Practice Group.

Amir was recently recognized by Benchmark Litigation as a “Future Star.” Amir has been recognized twice as an Appellate Rising Star by Law360, which described Amir as “a major player in some of the nation’s recent, most high-profile lawsuits,” from the “Citizens United campaign finance case to the battle in California over Proposition 8.” Amir has also been consistently recognized in The Best Lawyers in America® guide for Appellate Practice since 2014.

Amir has significant experience representing clients before the U.S. Supreme Court and other appellate courts. He has argued cases in federal and state appellate courts across the country, including in the U.S. Supreme Court.

Amir has briefed 21 cases on the merits before the U.S. Supreme Court, including:

• Daimler AG v. Bauman: Opinion substantially restricting states’ authority to exercise general personal jurisdiction over corporations.
• Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. v. Dukes: Decision decertifying the largest employment-discrimination class action in history.
• Citizens United v. FEC: Landmark campaign-finance ruling recognizing the First Amendment right of corporations to make expenditures in support of political candidates.
• Caperton v. A.T. Massey Coal Co.: Decision establishing that the Due Process Clause requires the recusal of elected judges who have received extraordinary levels of campaign support from litigants.
• Allison Engine Co. v. United States ex rel. Sanders: Case holding that the False Claims Act does not extend to alleged fraud against federally funded private parties.
• Riegel v. Medtronic, Inc.: Case declaring that federal law preempts state-law products liability claims regarding FDA-approved medical devices.
• Leegin Creative Leather Products, Inc. v. PSKS, Inc.: Decision overturning a ninety-six-year-old antitrust precedent prohibiting resale price maintenance agreements.

Amir also has an active administrative and regulatory practice. He regularly counsels clients in connection with matters pending before federal regulatory agencies—including the Financial Stability Oversight Council, the Securities and Exchange Commission, and the Environmental Protection Agency—and represents clients in litigation challenging agency action in the D.C. Circuit and other federal courts.

In addition, Amir has extensive trial experience. He has defended clients against products liability claims in state and federal courts, and was also part of the trial team that successfully challenged the constitutionality of Proposition 8, a California ballot initiative that prohibited marriage by individuals of the same sex.

Amir graduated from the Yale Law School in 2003, where he was Executive Editor of The Yale Law Journal. He served as a judicial clerk to the Honorable Diarmuid F. O’Scannlain of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Amir earned a B.A. degree summa cum laude in Political Science from California State University, Fullerton. He is licensed to practice in California and the District of Columbia, and before the Supreme Court of the United States and the United States Courts of Appeals for the Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Seventh, Ninth, Tenth, Eleventh, D.C., and Federal Circuits.

Capabilities

• Appellate and Constitutional Law
• Administrative Law and Regulatory Practice
• Litigation

Credentials

Education:

• Yale University - 2003 Juris Doctor
• California State University - Fullerton - 2000 Bachelor of Arts

Admissions:

• California Bar
• District of Columbia Bar

Clerkships:

• US Court of Appeals, 9th Circuit, Hon. Diarmuid F. O'Scannlain, 2004 - 2005