Over the years, Mr. Kolodin has served as lead counsel in a variety of high-profile political matters. In 2014, Mr. Kolodin litigated and prevailed in one of the first cases establishing that metadata stored on election tabulator computers is a public record under Arizona law. More recently, Mr. Kolodin won what is perhaps the seminal election case of the past decade. In Arizona Public Integrity Alliance v. Fontes, the Arizona Supreme Court ruled that every Arizona voter has standing to challenge violations of election law by public officials and abolished the balancing test for preliminary injunctive relief in such cases. On the other side of the coin, Mr. Kolodin successfully defended the lead contractor of the Arizona Senate’s election audit from attempts to obtain a preliminary injunction and successfully defended Congressman Paul Gosar before the Arizona Supreme Court in a lawsuit seeking his removal from the ballot on Fourteenth Amendment grounds.
Mr. Kolodin’s expertise in the field of election law was recognized by his colleagues in the Arizona Legislature, who named him Vice-Chair of the committee on Municipal Oversight and Elections for the Fifty-Sixth Legislature. In that capacity, he sponsored HB2785, a major elections reform package that was signed into law. During the Fifty-Sixth legislature Mr. Kolodin also served on the committees on Judiciary, Rules, and Energy, Natural Resources, and Water.
In addition to his political law practice, Mr. Kolodin also has extensive expertise in the fields of commercial litigation and personal injury. He has represented commercial landlords and a variety of other businesses in high-dollar litigation. As a result of these experiences, Mr. Kolodin has frequently been invited to speak at events like Phoenix Startup Week and had the opportunity to teach a course on Business Law at Grand Canyon University’s Colangelo College of Business.
Mr. Kolodin graduated, cum laude, from Georgetown University and the University of Pennsylvania Law School, where he was a Dean’s Fellow. During law school he was a member of the Federalist Society and worked as a Reagan Fellow at the Goldwater Institute’s Scharf-Norton Center for Constitutional Litigation. He is admitted in the state and federal courts of Arizona, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, and the Supreme Court of the United States.
Selected Case History
1789 Found. Inc. et al. v. Fontes: As lead counsel, successfully obtained a pre-election TRO against Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes for violation of the National Voter Registration Act (“NVRA”). No. CV-24-02987-PHX-SPL, slip op. (D. Ariz. Nov. 1, 2024).
Cox v. Coinmarketcap Opco, LLC, et al.: As co-lead counsel, obtained unanimous reversal of District Court determinations that (i) the Commodity Exchange Act (“CEA”) does not authorize nationwide service of process independent of its venue requirement, and (ii) that claim against U.S. branch of Chinese cryptocurrency exchange was not colorable under the CEA. 112 F.4th 822 (9th Cir. 2024).
Thomas Hansen, et al. v. Mark Finchem, et al.: Successfully led national litigation team defending Congressman Gosar against attempts to remove him from the ballot pursuant to the 14th Amendment at trial level and on appeal before the Arizona Supreme Court. No. CV-22-0099-AP/EL, 2022 Ariz. LEXIS 168 (May 9, 2022).
Ariz. Pub. Integrity All. v. Fontes: As lead counsel at trial level and on appeal, successfully represented non-profit organization in challenging violation of election law by Maricopa County Recorder. In a seminal opinion, the Arizona Supreme Court held that every Arizona voter has standing to challenge violations of election law by public officials and abolished the balancing test for preliminary injunctive relief in such cases. 250 Ariz. 58, 60 (2020).
Before joining the Kolodin Law Group, Neal worked in London for a Fortune 100 law firm representing French clients in complex banking, regulatory and tax matters, and as a tax associate for the New York Office of a Fortune 500 law firm. Prior to his legal career, Mr. Carter managed a title insurance agency and a nationwide title examining and abstracting firm, handling real estate closings, documents and transactions.
Neal has a heart for service, volunteering locally with his church and by participating in the county’s adopt a road program. Neal’s pro bono work includes arguing a case for the Coolidge Veterans Commission before the Pinal County Superior Court in a case that went to a jury trial and resulted in a win for the veterans.
Neal graduated with honors from UCLA and went on to receive his law degree from New York University. Mr. Carter is licensed to practice law in Arizona and New York. Neal speaks French fluently and has translated several books to date. He is married to his lovely wife, Katy, who are proud parents of two lovely daughters.