Source: https://www.nmgovlaw.com/team/christopher-skinnell/
Timestamp: 2019-04-26 13:42:42+00:00

Document:
Chris Skinnell is a partner practicing law and civil litigation relating to elections, state and local initiative and referenda, redistricting and voting rights, campaign finance, tribal gaming, and general constitutional and government law issues. He advises clients and litigates on a broad range of election, government, and political law related matters.
Mr. Skinnell has considerable expertise in redistricting and voting rights. He has advised scores of counties, cities, school districts and special districts on compliance with state and federal laws governing redistricting; has counseled many additional public entity clients regarding the requirements of the federal Voting Rights Act and the California Voting Rights Act; has represented public entity defendants in several leading CVRA cases; and has represented amici curiae in several leading voting rights and redistricting cases before the United States Supreme Court.
Mr. Skinnell has also litigated a number of constitutional issues related to campaign finance regulations, property rights, the use of public funds in connection with ballot measure campaigns, and the legality of various electoral systems.
He has also served as counsel to a number of ballot measure committees, independent expenditure committees, and political action committees.
Mr. Skinnell is a member of the Board of Governors of the Rose Institute of State & Local Government at Claremont McKenna College.
In 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017, Mr. Skinnell was selected for inclusion in Northern California Super Lawyers – Rising Stars, which recognizes no more than the top 2.5 percent of lawyers. The Rising Star category recognizes attorneys who are age 40 or less, or in the practice of law 10 years or less.
Sacramento magazine selected Mr. Skinnell for inclusion in its list of Top Lawyers of 2015. Attorneys were selected for inclusion on the list through a survey of Sacramento-area attorneys conducted for Sacramento magazine by Professional Research Services.
Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Skinnell worked as a political consultant to several California legislative and initiative campaigns; as a research associate at the Rose Institute; and as the chairman of a successful initiative campaign in Southern California.
Milonopoulos v. Bowen, No. 2:14-cv-05973-DOC-VBK (C.D. Cal. 2014) (rejecting challenge based on unsuccessful primary candidate's inability to appear as a write-in candidate on the general election ballot).
Citizens to Save Cal. v. Fair Pol. Pract. Comm’n, 145 Cal. App. 4th 736 (3d Dist. 2006): represented a ballot measure committee in a case that unanimously enjoined an FPPC Regulation seeking to apply campaign contribution limits to such committees in violation of the language of the Political Reform Act and the First Amendment.
Community Coalition Against Beverage Taxes v. City of Richmond, Case No. 3:12-cv-04545-CRB (N.D. Cal. 2012): successfully represented a ballot measure opposition committee in obtaining a preliminary injunction against enforcement of burdensome disclaimer requirements on campaign mailings; the City’s ordinance was then amended to remove the offending provisions.
Advising a developer in Southern California on a recent successful petition drive to qualify initiatives to enact land use approvals for a multi-million square foot industrial park, and on a subsequent, successful campaign to oppose qualification of a referendum against one of the approvals after its adoption by the city council.
Advising a developer on preparation and circulation of a successful 2014 land use measure in San Francisco.
Advising a local ballot measure committee on the successful enactment of a 2012 tax measure in San Mateo County.
Advising a developer regarding defects in a 2011 San Francisco referendum petition that unsuccessfully sought to challenge the developer's project.
James v. Schmidt, Case No. 16CV299134 (Santa Clara Super. Ct. 2016): successfully challenged statements in ballot arguments supporting Measure C in Cupertino as false and misleading; statements ordered stricken from ballot pamphlet.
King v. Dupuis, Case No. RG16809407 (Alameda Super. Ct. 2016): successfully challenged, as false and misleading, statements contained in the ballot argument against Measure H, a proposed bond measure in the Dublin Unified School District.
Johnson v. Numainville, Case No. RG14736763 (Alameda Super. Ct. 2014): successfully challenged, as illegally biased, ballot label adopted by Berkeley City Council and “impartial” analysis by Berkeley City Attorney.
Barrios v. Gutierrez, Case No. BS138863 (Los Angeles Super. Ct. 2012): successfully challenged, as illegally biased, ballot label adopted by El Monte City Council.
Vargas v. City of Salinas, 46 Cal. 4th 1 (2009): represented the California Chamber of Commerce, California Taxpayers’ Association, California Business Roundtable and California Business Properties Association as amici curiae in successfully urging the Supreme Court to reject the appeals court’s holding that the test for illegal expenditure of public funds in connection with ballot measures under Stanson v. Mott, 17 Cal. 3d 206 (1976), is express advocacy rather than a contextual analysis.
Redistricting Counsel: advised several dozen counties, cities, school districts and special districts on state and federal law governing redistricting following the release of 2010 Census.
California Voting Rights Act Litigation: represented defendant jurisdictions in nearly half of the suits brought under the California Voting Rights Act to date.
Ariz. Legislature v. Ariz. Independent Redistricting Comm’n, 576 U.S. __, 135 S. Ct. 2652, 192 L. Ed. 2d 704 (2015): represented former California Governors Deukmejian, Wilson and Schwarzenegger; the California Chamber of Commerce; Charles Munger, Jr.; and Bill Mundell, as amici curiae on a brief that successfully urged the Supreme Court to reject a challenge to congressional districting by an independent commission, rather than a state’s legislature; the majority opinion quoted (without attribution) a passage from the firm’s brief discussing the original meaning of the term “Legislature” as reflected in founding-era dictionaries.
Political Law Counsel & Treasurer: Mr. Skinnell has served as counsel and/or treasurer to a number of local ballot measure committees, independent expenditure committees, and political action committees, and he advises a number of corporate, nonprofit and individual clients on compliance with campaign finance laws, lobby reporting laws, and governmental ethics laws.
San Francisco Apartment Assn., et al. v. City & County of San Francisco, 3 Cal. App. 5th 463 (1st Dist. 2016): on behalf of representatives of the rental housing industry, successfully challenged a 2013 San Francisco ordinance that imposed a ten-year ban on unit mergers, on the ground that the ban was preempted by the Ellis Act.
Larson v. City & County of San Francisco, 192 Cal. App. 4th 1263 (1st Dist. 2011): represented rental property-owners in a successful constitutional challenge to enforcement of numerous provisions of Proposition M (malicious eviction) in San Francisco, and defense of cross-appeal of a judgment enjoining enforcement of one-sided attorneys’ fee provision.
Presentation, "Taking Voter Equality Seriously: What Does 'One-Person, One-Vote' Really Mean?", Rose Institute of State & Local Government/Claremont McKenna College (Nov. 17, 2015).
Chris Skinnell & Marguerite Leoni, “Victory for California Voters, Too,” The Los Angeles Daily Journal (July 10, 2015).
Presentation (Online Seminar), "Arizona Legislature v. Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission: Supreme Court Addresses the Future of Redistricting Reform in America," Practising Law Institute (July 10, 2015).
Moderator, "Who Draws the Lines? Will the Supreme Court Strike Down Independent Redistricting Commissions?", Rose Institute of State & Local Government/Claremont McKenna College (Apr. 6, 2015).
Moderator, "Campaign Finance I - Litigation," Council on Governmental Ethics Laws Annual Conference (Dec. 8, 2014).
Chris Skinnell and Marguerite Mary Leoni, "Guest Post: Response by Merced County’s Section 5 Lawyers to J. Christian Adams’s Article," Election Law Blog, electionlawblog.org (Dec. 3, 2013).
Presentation (Online Seminar), "The Supreme Court’s Shelby County and the Future of Voting Rights Enforcement," Practising Law Institute (July 12, 2013).
Chris Skinnell and Elli Abdoli, "Campaign Finance Post-Citizens United," Corporate Counsel (April 5, 2013) (reprinted from The Recorder).
Chris Skinnell and Elli Abdoli, "Campaign Finance Post-Citizens United," The Recorder (Mar. 26, 2013).
Presentation (Online Seminar), "Voting Rights In California," Nielsen Merksamer (Feb. 22, 2013) (Speakers: Marguerite Leoni and Chris Skinnell).
Marguerite Mary Leoni and Chris Skinnell, “Chapter 12: The California Voting Rights Act,” America Votes! A Guide to Modern Election Law and Voting Rights (Am. Bar Assn., 2d ed. 2012).
Presentation, "Pay-to-Play: Here to Stay? A Discussion of a Recent Litigation Concerning Play-to-Play Rules and Related Issues," California Political Attorneys Association Annual Conference (Sept. 22, 2012).
Presentation, "Redistricting – Court Challenges & Legal Issues," Council on Governmental Ethics Laws Annual Conference (Dec. 5, 2011).
Presentation, "Section 203 of the Federal Voting Rights Act," California Association of Clerks and Elections Officials Annual Conference: Redistricting Seminar (July 19, 2011).
Presentation, "Redistricting Litigation: State and Local," California Association of Clerks and Elections Officials Annual Conference: Redistricting Seminar (July 19, 2011).
Presentation, "Commuter Flight: Participating in Local Redistricting," Northern California RedistrictingCA Conference (Mar. 31, 2011).
Presentation, "Redistricting Essentials: 2011 Redistricting & Local/Special Districts," Presentation for Cities & Special Districts, hosted by Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk (Jan. 20, 2011).
Presentation, "Redistricting Law 2011: The same . . . but different," National Conference of State Legislatures Fall Forum (Dec. 11, 2009).
Presentation, "The California Voting Rights Act: Developing Jurisprudence," League of California Cities: 2009 City Clerks New Law & Leadership Conference (Dec. 3, 2009) (Speakers: Marguerite Leoni & Chris Skinnell).
Presentation, "The California Voting Rights Act: Developing Jurisprudence," California School Boards Association: Annual 2009 Education Conference & Trade Show (Speakers: Marguerite Leoni & Chris Skinnell).
Presentation, The California Voting Rights Act: Developing Jurisprudence, Rose Institute of State & Local Government: Redistricting, the 2000 Census, and Your Budget (Oct. 15, 2009).
Presentation, "The Effect of Vargas v. City of Salinas on the Use of Public Funds in Ballot Measure Campaigns," California Political Attorneys Association Annual Conference (Sept. 12, 2009).
Marguerite Mary Leoni and Chris Skinnell, "The California Voting Rights Act," Public Law Journal, Vol. 32, No. 2 (Spring 2009).
Marguerite Mary Leoni and Chris Skinnell, "As I See It: School Districts and the California Voting Rights Act," California Schools Magazine (Spring 2009).
Presentation (Online Seminar), "Voting Rights: Claims, Redistricting & More," National Business Institute (June 19, 2008) (Speakers: Marguerite Leoni & Chris Skinnell).
Presentation, "Citizens to Save California & Regulation of Candidate-Controlled Committees," California Political Attorneys Association Annual Conference (Sept. 5, 2007).
Chip Nielsen, Jason Kaune and Chris Skinnell, “Overview of Federal Campaign Finance Rules,” Corp. Pol. Activities: Complying With Campaign Finance, Lobbying & Ethics Laws (Practising Law Institute, Gross, Nielsen & Baran, eds., 2006).
Marguerite Mary Leoni and Chris Skinnell, "Congress Considers Renewal of Two Key Sections of the Federal Voting Rights Act: California Elections Could See Dramatic Impacts," CA Counties Magazine (Mar/Apr 2006).
Chip Nielsen, Jason Kaune and Chris Skinnell, “Overview of Federal Campaign Finance Rules,” Corp. Pol. Activities: Complying With Campaign Finance, Lobbying & Ethics Laws (Practising Law Institute, Gross, Nielsen & Baran, eds., 2005).
Chip Nielsen, Jason Kaune and Chris Skinnell, “Membership Organization: Corporations Without Capital Stock,” Corp. Pol. Activities: Complying With Campaign Finance, Lobbying & Ethics Laws (Practising Law Institute, Gross, Nielsen & Baran, eds. 2005).
Marguerite Mary Leoni and Chris Skinnell, "The California Voting Rights Act," City Attorneys Annual Conference Papers (League of Cal. Cities Sept. 2003).
University of Chicago Law School J.D.

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