Phone: (206) 616-7115
Email: egporter@uw.edu
B.A. 1991, Brown University M.Ed. 1992, Harvard Graduate School of Education M.A. 2000, J.D. 2000, Columbia University
Civil Litigation and Procedure — Visual Media and the Law — Federal Courts — U.S. Supreme Court — Torts
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Liz Porter is an Associate Professor and Charles I. Stone Professor of Law. Her research, which has been published in top journals including the Columbia Law Review, the New York University Law Review, and the Cornell Law Review, focuses on civil litigation. In particular, Professor Porter's scholarship reveals and analyzes the newly emerging role that visual media play in litigation documents from pleadings to judicial opinions. Her procedural scholarship focuses on the Supreme Court's dual role as the promulgator and the interpreter of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. In addition to her written work, Professor Porter co-founded and continues to organize the Civil Procedure Workshop.
Professor Porter teaches Civil Procedure I, Civil Procedure II, Complex Litigation, Torts, and Federal Courts. In 2014, she received a University-wide Distinguished Teaching Award. Within the Law School, she has been recognized five times with a Philip A. Trautman Professor of the Year awardin 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, and 2017. Her teaching emphasizes both theory and the development of practical skills, especially legal writing.
Professor Porter has a J.D. from Columbia Law School, where she was a James Kent Scholar, a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar, and an Articles Editor for the Columbia Law Review. She also has a B.A. magna cum laude from Brown University, and an Ed.M. from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Following law school, Professor Porter served as a law clerk for Judge Sidney R. Thomas at the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. During OT 2002, she was a law clerk for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg at the United States Supreme Court. After her clerkships, she practiced commercial litigation at Jenner & Block LLP in Washington, D.C.
“If you think about the purpose of the First Amendment, we robustly protect freedom of speech precisely because even the threat of a government activity that will curtail or restrict speech casts a chill on freedom of expression,” Porter said.
“I think the Trump administration has had quite a bit of success by making very outrageous demands and then getting people to negotiate with it in ways that ultimately result in significant victories for the administration,” UW professor of law Elizabeth Porter said.
To be sure, defining what counts as a “win” in litigation can be complicated. Take, for example, the travel ban from Trump’s first administration. As Liz Porter, professor of law at the University of Washington explains, the administration lost the initial legal battles, but in response, the Trump Administration revised the ban to include some non-Muslim countries and phase in restrictions over time—and the Supreme Court upheld the revised version. “Which way do you count that?,” asks Porter. (For what it’s worth, the Washington Attorney General’s website still counts it as a win.)
The UW School of Law hosted a lecture Oct. 22 explaining “Presidential Power,” connecting it to the upcoming 2024 United States presidential election. This lecture focused on the power and authority that presidents have in the U.S., how power is balanced throughout the government, and how this affects U.S. citizens.
Some law students and professors in Idaho were among droves of people who spent their Thursday morning tuning in live to oral arguments in the Trump v. Anderson case taking place in the nation’s highest court. Elizabeth Porter, professor of law at the UW, is quoted.
”There is generally no duty in American law to protect third parties from harm,” UW torts law professor Elizabeth Porter said. “There are exceptions to this rule, where the defendant is in a special relationship with the plaintiff. The question is whether such a special relationship exists between universities and their students, and — if yes — the nature of that relationship.”
The former chief judge of the Ninth Circuit has announced he will be taking senior status, giving President Joe Biden a third seat to fill on the appellate court, according to a Tuesday announcement.
After hamstringing president Obama’s nominations for years, a Republican Senate during the Trump administration has packed the Supreme and federal courts with conservative judges (including in Washington’s 9th Circuit). How will that affect the state and region? Elizabeth Porter is associate dean at the University of Washington Law School, and a former clerk for Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
The images were striking: dozens of former law clerks of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, dressed in black, silently awaiting their former boss on the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court this morning. Elizabeth Porter, associate professor of law at the UW, was among them. She clerked for Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in 2002.
In this segment of "KIRO Nights," Mike Lewis interviews Elizabeth Porter, associate professor of law at the UW, about Ruth Bader Ginsburg. He also interviews Clark Lombardi, professor of law at the UW, about sedition laws and the Justice Department's interest in charging protesters. [Lombardi's interview begins at 1:05, and Porter's interview begins at 20:20.]
With the passing of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, one of her former law clerks is sharing the profound impact the civil rights champion had on her own life and career.
Faculty organized an expert panel to discuss topics focused on federalism, health care, international implications and tribal and natural resources.
A UW Law classroom became a live courtroom on Nov. 20 when the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit heard oral arguments on three cases.
Dean Tamara F. Lawson and the UW School of Law hosted “Presidential Power,” part of the Provost's "Democracy in Focus" lecture series leading up the 2024 Presidential Election.
Walker McKusick, J.D. ‘24, and Sally Walker, J.D. ’24, reflect on their transformative journey through the Ninth Circuit Pro Bono Appellate Advocacy Clinic.
Professors Feldman, Manheim, Lombardi and Porter tackled a SCOTUS case involving former president Trump before a packed audience on Feb. 4.
Stay informed about the latest updates and successes from UW Law's Clinical Law Program, which provides students with real-world legal experience assisting clients and communities.
UW Law Celebrates Arief Surowidjojo with an Alumni Lifetime Achievement Award and forges a new partnership with Jentera School of Law, advancing Indonesian legal education with an impact on policy.