Attorney Profiles
Benjamin Barr
ben@barrklein.com
(202) 595-4671
Representative litigation:
Project Veritas Action Fund v. Rollins
Democracy Partners, et al. v. Project Veritas Action Fund, et al.
Crookston v. Benson
Ball v. Madigan
National Defense PAC v. FEC
Two Unnamed Plaintiffs v. FEC
DeLay v. State of Texas (amicus)
Williams v. City of Cheyenne
Wills v. Maxfield
Brophy v. Maxfield
Free Speech v. FEC
Wisconsin Right to Life v. Shoeber
Anderson v. Spear
Alaska Right to Life v. Feldman
Lux v. Snelling
FEC v. Beaumont
McConnell v. FEC
Lux v. White
Republican Party of Minnesota v. White
Project Veritas Action Fund v. Schmidt
Project Veritas, In re Search Warrants
Weisenbach v. Project Veritas
Planned Parenthood Federation of America v. Center for Medical Progress (amicus)
Smith v. LoanMe, Inc. (amicus)
Education
Chicago-Kent College of Law, J.D. (2001)
Moot Court Honor Society
Online Articles Editor for the Journal of Intellectual Property
Recipient of CALI Award for Excellence (highest single grade awarded) in: Internet Law, Conflicts of Law, and Justice and the Legal System
University of Oldenburg, Germany
Deutsches Sprachdiplom (German language certification)
University of Wyoming
Legal Community
Selected Publications
- “Publius was not a PAC,” Wyoming Law Review, 2014 (co-authored).
- “Medical Freedom Zones,” Wyoming Liberty Group, Nov. 2011.
- “Opening the Political Speech Dam,” Wyoming Liberty Group, Feb. 2011.
- “Rediscovering the ACC’s Roots: Returning to the Original Purpose of the Arizona Corporation Commission,” Goldwater Institute, May 8, 2010.
- “Living Debt Free: Restoring Arizona’s Commitment to its Constitutional Debt Limit,” Goldwater Institute, Jan. 5, 2010.
- “In Defense of the Wyoming Constitution,” Wyoming Liberty Group, Feb. 2, 2009.
- “Arizona’s Struggle for Sovereignty: The Consequences of Federal Mandates,” Goldwater Institute, June 12, 2008.
- “Muddy Waters: Deconstructing the Clean Water Act in Arizona,” Goldwater Institute, Jan. 28, 2008.
- “Regifting the Gift Clause: How the Arizona Constitution Can End Corporate Subsidies,” Goldwater Institute, May 14, 2007.
- “Your Tax Dollars at Work: The Implications of Taxpayer-Funded Lobbying,” Goldwater Institute, Jan. 23, 2007.
- “Defining the Fundamental Principles of the Arizona Constitution,” Goldwater Institute, Nov. 1, 2006.
- “This Land is My Land: Reforming Eminent Domain after Kelo v. City of New London,” Goldwater Institute, Jan. 17, 2006 (co-authored).
Admissions
Stephen Klein
steve@barrklein.com
(202) 804-6676
Steve Klein is an effective attorney who fights for his clients’ rights in courts across the country. His advocacy has led to the successful amendment of state statutes to respect individual rights and prevented the enactment of overburdensome laws.
Noteworthy Experience
Counsel to cutting-edge investigative journalists. Steve’s representation concerns undercover journalism and combatting aggressive efforts to silence newsgathering.
Successfully argued for the dismissal of a political activist from a wide-ranging civil lawsuit relating to the events of January 6, 2021 at the U.S. Capitol, then settled the case with no payment to the plaintiffs. Smith v. Trump, 2023 WL 417952 (D.D.C. 2023).
Co-author of amici curiae briefs for the Texas Third Court of Appeals and Court of Criminal Appeals in former U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay’s appeals for money laundering convictions, arguing against vague and overbroad state laws criminalizing political speech. The Third Court adopted the brief’s arguments and overturned DeLay’s convictions, an opinion affirmed by the Court of Criminal Appeals in 2014. DeLay v. State of Texas, 410 S.W.3d 902 (Tex. Third App. 2013); DeLay v. State of Texas, 465 S.W.3d 232 (Tex. Crim. App. 2014).
Drafted and lobbied on behalf of bills to reform the practice of civil asset forfeiture in Wyoming (House Bill 76, 2014; Senate File 14, 2015). In 2016, the reform measure passed the legislature 90-0 and was signed into law (Senate File 46, 2016).
Representative Litigation
Wyoming Gun Owners v. Gray
Smith v. Trump
Weisenbach v. Project Veritas
Planned Parenthood Federation of America v. Center for Medical Progress (amicus)
Frank v. Lee
Smith v. LoanMe, Inc. (amicus)
Project Veritas v. Schmidt
AFT Michigan v. Project Veritas
Democracy Partners v. Project Veritas Action Fund
Project Veritas Action Fund v. Rollins
Fusaro v. Howard
Crookston v. Benson
Two Unnamed Plaintiffs v. FEC
Ball v. Madigan
Cary v. State of Texas (amicus)
Brophy v. Maxfield
Wills v. Maxfield
Williams v. City of Cheyenne
Free Speech v. FEC
DeLay v. State of Texas (amicus)
Education
Ave Maria School of Law, J.D. (2009)
Managing Editor, Ave Maria Law Review
President, Ave Maria Federalist Society
Hillsdale College, B.A. (2005)
Legal Community
The Federalist Society
Executive Board, Free Speech & Election Law Practice Group (2008-present)
Republican National Lawyers Association
William B. Bryant American Inn of Court
Selected Publications
- ‘The Centre Cannot Hold’ : Campaign Finance Disclosure Beyond 2016, 56 Washburn L.J. 93 (2017).
- Publius Was Not a PAC: Reconciling Anonymous Political Speech, the First Amendment, and Campaign Finance Disclosure , 14 L. Rev. 253 (2014) (co-authored with Benjamin Barr).
- Bailey v. Maine Comm’n on Governmental Ethics: Another Step Towards the End of Political Privacy, Engage: J. Federalist Soc’y Prac. Groups, Jul. 2013, at 54.
- A Cold Breeze in California: ProtectMarriage Reveals the Chilling Effect of Campaign Finance Disclosure on Ballot Measure Issue Advocacy, Engage: J. Federalist Soc’y Prac. Groups, Nov. 2009, at 68.
- Note, A Shot at Mens Rea in Aiding and Abetting Illegal Firearms Possession Under 18 U.S.C. § 922(g) , 7 Ave Maria L. Rev. 639 (2009).
Bar Admissions
United States Supreme Court
District of Columbia
Michigan
Illinois
District of Columbia
Northern District of Illinois
Eastern District of Michigan
Western District of Michigan
District of Colorado
United States Courts of Appeal
First Circuit
Second Circuit
Fourth Circuit
Fifth Circuit
Sixth Circuit
Seventh Circuit
Eighth Circuit
Ninth Circuit
Tenth Circuit