A former deputy general counsel of the Federal Communications Commission is returning to Davis Wright Tremaine.
Peter Karanjia, who spent the last three years supervising litigation at the agency, is joining Davis Wright’s communications, media, IP and technology group. He will work in the firm’s Washington and New York offices and also serve as co-chairman of the appellate practice.
In his post at the FCC, Karanjia worked with the Solicitor General's office on commission litigation in the U.S. Supreme Court. In the case of City of Arlington, Texas v. FCC the municipality challenged the agency's order that state and local authorities must act on applications for wireless facilities in a "reasonable period of time after the request is duly filed." The city challenged the agency's authority to implement the law as part of the Communications Act. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of the FCC.
In an interview with Legal Times, Karanjia described his time at the FCC as an exercise in appellate work.
"Essentially any challenge to an FCC order is an appellate trial," Karanjia said. "I think there are some great synergies between a regulatory litigation practice, especially FCC, and an appellate practice."
From 2007 to 2010, Karanjia was special counsel to New York Solicitor General Barbara Underwood. Before then, he was a partner at Davis Wright's New York office.
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