David J. Bodney

Partner

• dbodney@steptoe.com
• vCard
• Phoenix Office

Collier Center
201 East Washington Street, 16th Floor
Phoenix AZ 85004
TEL: 602.257.5212
FAX: 602.257.5299

David Bodney is a partner in the Phoenix office of Steptoe & Johnson LLP.  Mr. Bodney’s practice areas include media and constitutional law, civil litigation, American Indian law and government affairs.  He is listed in the current editions of Who’s Who in American Law and The Best Lawyers in America.

Media and Constitutional Law
Over the years, Mr. Bodney has successfully defended print and broadcast media in defamation, privacy and related lawsuits in federal and state courts.  He teaches media law at the College of Law at Arizona State University, and has served as the co-author of the Arizona sections of the Media Law Resource Center’s 50-State Survey on libel and privacy law since its inception.  He has lectured on media law and litigation at conferences internationally, including recent presentations on libel and mass media law in London and Moscow.   Mr. Bodney’s practice covers a wide range of civil rights and constitutional law issues, including prosecuting actions to secure open government, blocking prior restraints and subpoenas of reporters by government and third parties, and handling copyright, trademark and other intellectual property law issues.  For over 20 years, he has worked to secure open government legislation on behalf of the publishing industry.  In 1999, together with The Arizona Republic, he earned the Arizona Newspapers Association’s Freedom of Information Award for his work in federal court on behalf of Phoenix Newspapers, Inc.  He recently co-authored a monograph on freedom-of-information laws for the ABA’s Central and East European Law Initiative to assist emerging democracies in the former Soviet Union with the enactment of FOI laws. 

Civil Litigation
Mr. Bodney has litigated a variety of complex cases, including commercial disputes in the banking, education, retail and high-technology industries, in courts around the country.  He has handled securities, trademark, trade secrets, copyright and contract actions, including AAA and other arbitrations.  In addition, Mr. Bodney has argued a wide variety of appellate cases, both state and federal, and briefed several high-profile cases in the United States Supreme Court.

American Indian Law
Mr. Bodney’s practice of constitutional law extends to Indian and gaming law matters, and he advises clients on a wide range of such issues, including tribal governance, membership, taxation and water rights.  On behalf of one Arizona tribe, he worked with Senator John McCain to secure passage of a landmark Indian water rights settlement act.  His work on Indian law projects covers a wide range of legal services, from government relations to litigation in federal, state and tribal courts.  At present, on behalf of the Inter Tribal Council of Arizona, Inc., Mr. Bodney is handling litigation to invalidate Arizona’s Proposition 200, which requires certain proof-of-citizenship documentation to register and vote.

Pro Bono
For the Lawyer’s Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, Mr. Bodney serves as a member of the Board of Directors and oversees its “Election Protection” efforts in Arizona.  The former Managing Partner of the Phoenix office, Mr. Bodney recently concluded a successful negotiation between a property-owner and the City of Phoenix, which resulted in the City’s acquisition of property for the purpose of building a downtown children’s museum. 

Noteworthy & Success Stories

• Listed in Best Lawyers in America 2008 for First Amendment Law (has been listed since 1996)
• Recommended by Legal 500 US 2007 for Media and Entertainment: Defamation and Libel
• Listed in Southwest Super Lawyers 2007 and 2008 for Media and Constitutional Law
• Listed in Who's Who in American Law (has been listed since 1995)
• Listed in Who's Who in America (has been listed since 1995)
• Arizona Supreme Court Rules Letter to Editor Still Covered by First Amendment

News, Seminars & Events

• Fourteen Steptoe & Johnson LLP Attorneys in Phoenix are Named Super Lawyers
• David Bodney Selected for 2008 Judge Learned Hand Community Service Award
• Best Lawyers in America Honors 43 Steptoe Attorneys
• 14 Steptoe Attorneys Named Southwest Super Lawyers
• Legal 500 US Ranks Steptoe's Technology Department
• Best Lawyers in America 2007 Lists Steptoe Attorneys
• Phoenix Attorneys Offer Key Employees in Transition Workshop, February 8, 2006, (A Steptoe-Sponsored Event)
• Fire Inside the Firewall: Liability for Information Security Breaches: A Data Security Seminar, May 13, 2005, (A Steptoe-Sponsored Event)

Publications & Speaking Engagements

• Governmental and Self-Regulation of the Press: An American Perspective
  Cambridge University Conference on Extreme Speech and Democracy
  April 22, 2007
• War, Wisdom, and Freedom of the Press
  December 1, 2002
• David Bodney Presents at Conference on "Extreme Speech and Democracy" at Cambridge University, April 22, 2007

Professional Affiliations

• American Bar Association
• Named by Vice President Al Gore as an advisor on civil liberties issues to the White House Commission on Aviation Safety and Security, 1997
• Arizona Center for Law in the Public Interest, former president
• Arizona State Bar’s Committee on the Rules of Professional Responsibility, former member
• Arizona Chief Justice’s Commission on Juvenile Justice, former member
• Arizona Judicial Council’s Committee to Study Public Access to Electronic Records, former member
• Children’s Action Alliance, Chairman of the Board of Directors
• Anti-Defamation League (Arizona Region), President
• Advisory Board to ThinkAZ, member
• ABA Editorial Board of Communications Lawyers, member
• Maricopa Bar Association