Matt Blumenthal

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Matt Blumenthal
Member of the
Connecticut House of Representatives
from the 147th district
Assumed office
January 9, 2019
Preceded byWilliam Tong
Personal details
Born (1986-01-30) January 30, 1986 (age 38)
Stamford, Connecticut, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Parent
RelativesPeter L. Malkin (maternal grandfather)
Lawrence Wien (great-grandfather)
EducationHarvard University (BA)
Yale University (JD)
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch/service United States Marine Corps
Battles/warsWar in Afghanistan

Matthew S. Blumenthal (born January 30, 1986) is an American politician and attorney serving as a member of the Connecticut House of Representatives from the 147th district in Fairfield County.

Early Life and Education[edit]

Blumenthal was born in Stamford, Connecticut and raised in Stamford and Greenwich, Connecticut. He received his undergraduate degree magna cum laude from Harvard College, majoring in History and Literature.[1] He received his Juris Doctor degree from Yale Law School.[2]

Military Service[edit]

Blumenthal served as an Infantry Officer in the United States Marine Corps Reserve.[3] He spent roughly two and a half years in active duty service, commanding a rifle platoon in Marjah, Afghanistan with Charlie Company, First Battalion, Twenty-Fifth Marines, as part of Operation Enduring Freedom.[4]

Legal Career[edit]

After graduating from Yale Law School, Blumenthal served as a judicial law clerk to Hon. Diane P. Wood, then Chief Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.[5]

Blumenthal is a trial attorney for the law firm Koskoff, Koskoff & Bieder.[6] He was the legal architect and one of the lead attorneys representing families of victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in their lawsuit against conspiracy theorist and radio personality Alex Jones, which achieved a $1.4 billion verdict on their behalf.[7] He and his colleagues on the case team were the recipients of the 2023 Public Justice Trial Lawyer of the Year Award.[8] He has been selected to the Connecticut Super Lawyers “Rising Stars” list since 2022.[9]

Blumenthal previously served as a supervisor at the Peter Gruber Rule of Law Clinic at Yale Law School.[10] In that role, he helped supervise and submit briefs to the U.S. Supreme Court and lower federal courts in cases against the Trump Administration’s travel ban[11] and transgender military ban.[12] He also led the team that produced a comprehensive guidance on critical interpretive and procedural questions regarding the 25th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.[13]

Public Service[edit]

In 2018, Blumenthal was elected to serve as State Representative for the 147th District of the Connecticut General Assembly, winning 59 percent of the vote against Republican candidate Anzelmo Graziosi.[14] He was endorsed by former President Barack Obama.[15] In 2020, Blumenthal was re-elected, defeating Republican Dan Maymin 62 percent to 38 percent.[16] In 2022, he was re-elected again, defeating Republican Abraham Viera by a margin of 60.2 percent to 39.8 percent.[17]

Blumenthal is the current House Chair of the Government Administration and Elections Committee, and a member of the Judiciary and Transportation Committees.[18] He is the co-founder and Co-Chair of the General Assembly’s Reproductive Rights Caucus.[19]

In 2022, Blumenthal co-authored and led passage of the Connecticut Reproductive Freedom Defense Act, which protects residents, healthcare providers, and visiting patients from out-of-state lawsuits or prosecutions related to reproductive or gender-affirming health care that is legal in Connecticut.[20] It was drafted and passed in anticipation of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which overruled Roe v. Wade. It has been called “the gold standard for pro-choice legislation in the post-Roe era,” as well as a “blueprint” and a “model for other . . . states that want to protect abortion access.”[21][22] Blumenthal authored the law with Rep. Jillian Gilchrest, with whom he cofounded and co-chairs the General Assembly’s Reproductive Rights Caucus.[23] Sixteen other states and the District of Columbia have since enacted laws based on its provisions.[24]

In 2023, Blumenthal co-authored and led passage of the state’s first legislation allowing early voting.[25] He led passage of a resolution for a Constitutional amendment to allow no-excuse absentee voting, which will go before the voters for approval in November 2024.[26] He had previously been at the forefront of the efforts to expand access to absentee and early voting in Connecticut,[27][28] authoring absentee-ballot expansion legislation that passed in 2022.[29] In 2023, he also co-authored and helped lead passage of the John R. Lewis Connecticut Voting Rights Act,[30] the strongest state voting-rights legislation in the nation, as well as the first significant reform strengthening the state’s Freedom of Information laws in 40 years.[31]

Blumenthal has also authored and helped lead passage of the state’s ban on ghost guns and 3D-printed guns,[32] as well as helping pass laws ensuring safe storage of firearms.[33] Additionally, he has helped author legislation to increase equity and reduce discrimination on juries,[34] confront online harassment, stalking, and hate crimes,[35] and update Connecticut’s Emergency Risk Protection Order (Red-Flag) law.[36]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Biography | Connecticut House Democrats". www.housedems.ct.gov. Retrieved 2020-07-11.
  2. ^ "Biography | Connecticut House Democrats". www.housedems.ct.gov. Retrieved 2020-07-11.
  3. ^ "Biography | Connecticut State Rep. Matt Blumenthal". www.legistorm.com. Retrieved 2022-01-04.
  4. ^ Vigdor, Neil. "Like Father, Like Son? Matt Blumenthal Running For the Legislature". courant.com. Retrieved 2021-01-23.
  5. ^ "Biography | Connecticut House Democrats". www.housedems.ct.gov. Retrieved 2020-07-11.
  6. ^ "Koskoff | Lawyer | Matt Blumenthal". www.koskoff.com. Retrieved 2022-01-04.
  7. ^ "Alex Jones ordered to pay $965 million for Sandy Hook lies". The Republic.com. Associated Press. Retrieved 2023-02-10.
  8. ^ "Public Justice Announces Winners for 2023 Trial Lawyer of the Year Award". PublicJustice.net. July 17, 2023. Retrieved 2023-07-27.
  9. ^ "Super Lawyers, Attorney Profile: Matt Blumenthal". profiles.superlawyers.com. Retrieved 2023-05-02.
  10. ^ "Biography | Connecticut House Democrats". www.housedems.ct.gov. Retrieved 2020-07-11.
  11. ^ "Rule of Law Clinic Files Additional Amicus Brief in Travel Ban Case". law.yale.edu. Retrieved 2022-01-04.
  12. ^ "Rule of Law Clinic Files Amicus Brief in Transgender Service Member Ban Case". law.yale.edu. Retrieved 2022-01-04.
  13. ^ "Rule of Law Clinic Releases "Reader's Guide" for the 25th Amendment". law.yale.edu. Retrieved 2022-01-04.
  14. ^ "Connecticut Election Results - Election Results 2018 - The New York Times". nytimes.com. Retrieved 2019-01-14.
  15. ^ Vigdor, Neil. "Barack Obama Endorses Ned Lamont For Governor, Jahana Hayes For Congress". courant.com. Retrieved 2022-01-04.
  16. ^ "2020 State House Results". cbia.com. Retrieved 2021-01-24.
  17. ^ "2022 Connecticut State House - District 147 Election Results". jsonline.com. Retrieved 2023-02-24.
  18. ^ "Biography | Connecticut House Democrats". www.housedems.ct.gov. Retrieved 2020-07-11.
  19. ^ Dashefsky, Daniel. "State leaders speak up to protect reproductive health on the 49th anniversary of Roe v. Wade". Fox61.com. Retrieved 2022-01-22.
  20. ^ Maslin Nir, Sarah; Zernike, Kate (April 30, 2022). "Connecticut Moves to Blunt Impact of Other States' Anti-Abortion Laws". nytimes.com. Retrieved 2022-05-13.
  21. ^ Stern, Mark Joseph (April 20, 2022). "Only One Blue State Is Fully Preparing for the Next Phase of the Abortion Wars". slate.com. Retrieved 2022-05-13.
  22. ^ Kitchener, Caroline (April 30, 2022). "Conn. lawmakers pass bill to be 'place of refuge' for abortion patients". washingtonpost.com. Retrieved 2022-05-13.
  23. ^ Blumenthal, Matt; Gilchrest, Jillian (March 24, 2022). "Opinion: CT reproductive rights are under threat. We must act now". ctpost.com. Retrieved 2022-07-18.
  24. ^ "Maps: Abortion Laws By State". reproductiverights.org. Center for Reproductive Rights. Retrieved 2023-11-20.
  25. ^ Pazniokas, Mark (May 4, 2023). "House passes bill to bring early voting to Connecticut". ctmirror.org. Retrieved 2023-06-09.
  26. ^ Pazniokas, Mark (May 10, 2023). "CT House votes to put no-excuse absentee voting on 2024 ballot". ctmirror.org. Retrieved 2023-06-09.
  27. ^ Blumenthal, Matt. "Matt Blumenthal (opinion): 'We could expand absentee-ballot access right now' in CT". stamfordadvocate.com. Retrieved 2022-01-04.
  28. ^ Pazniokas, Mark (May 24, 2021). "Bipartisan support in Connecticut House to ease absentee voting". ctmirror.org. Retrieved 2022-01-04.
  29. ^ Pazniokas, Mark (March 16, 2022). "CT House votes to ease absentee voting for caretakers, commuters". ctmirror.org. Retrieved 2022-05-13.
  30. ^ "Civil & Voting Rights Organizations Commend Connecticut Legislature for Final Passage of Historic State Voting Rights Legislation". naacpldf.org. NAACP Legal Defense Fund. June 6, 2023. Retrieved 2023-06-09.
  31. ^ Eaton, Joshua; Rabe Thomas, Jacqueline (June 27, 2023). "Reforms bolster CT as leader in government records transparency, experts say". ctinsider.com. Retrieved 2023-07-27.
  32. ^ Kramer, Jack (May 8, 2019). "CT 'ghost gun' ban moves forward". ctpost.com. Retrieved 2022-01-04.
  33. ^ Larson, Andrew (May 7, 2019). "House expected to vote Tuesday on gun storage bills". archives.rep-am.com. Retrieved 2022-01-04.
  34. ^ Murdock, Zach (April 6, 2021). "Democrats advance reforms designed by Connecticut judges, attorneys to reduce racial bias in jury selection". courant.com. Retrieved 2022-01-04.
  35. ^ "ADL welcomes the CT House's passage of An Act Concerning Online Harassment...Thank you @Matt_Blumenthal...for championing this important bill". twitter.com. ADL_Connecticut(@ADL_Connecticut). June 3, 2021. Retrieved 2022-01-04.
  36. ^ "We just passed HB 6355, updating our #redflag law, which helps separate from firearms people dangerous to themselves or others. Was proud to help craft it". twitter.com. Blumenthal, Matt (@matt_blumenthal). May 12, 2021. Retrieved 2022-01-04.
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