Joshua Matz

Joshua Matz is a partner at Hecker Fink LLP.

Joshua works closely with clients as a strategic counselor, trial and appellate litigator, and advisor in responding to congressional and state attorney general investigations. He has litigated cases at every level of the federal judiciary, and specializes in working with clients facing high stakes issues that call for comprehensive, trustworthy legal support. In those matters, Joshua draws on his experience as a law clerk to Justice Anthony Kennedy, his service on the House Judiciary Committee, and his expertise on constitutional law (he has co-authored two books with Harvard Law Professor Larry Tribe). Joshua’s clients have included individuals, non-profits, funders, businesses, universities, judges, cities, states, and congressional committees. In recent years, Joshua’s lawyering has been recognized by Chambers, Benchmark Litigation, Business Insider, Bloomberg Law, The National Law Journal, and The American Lawyer. As one of his clients told Chambers, “People are blown away by how powerful, precise and persuasive he is as an advocate.” 

Joshua’s practice features a strong focus on democracy and elections. In 2020, he successfully represented Pennsylvania in defending its certification of the presidential election results. In 2021, he secured the dismissal of a case against a non-profit—and subsequently secured sanctions—where plaintiffs asserted claims related to the 2020 election. And in 2022, he successfully represented the Governors of Wisconsin and Pennsylvania in defending their states’ congressional districting maps against challenges at the U.S Supreme Court. Alongside these litigation matters, Joshua has represented numerous clients in connection with state and congressional investigations. He has also provided state-by-state strategic and compliance advice to democracy-oriented non-profits, worked with clients to ensure their preparedness for election cycle challenges, and advised clients on questions concerning the administration and certification of elections. 

Joshua also maintains an active civil litigation practice—and is most often consulted when cases involve high complexity constitutional or statutory issues, or where clients seek the involvement of appellate-experienced counsel in trial-level strategic planning. He has litigated a diverse set of commercial cases, ranging from contract, fraud, and trade secrets disputes to consumer protection and sex discrimination matters. He has represented Brown and Columbia Universities in Title IX litigation. He has worked with leading businesses to shape national litigation strategies and structure cutting-edge lawsuits. And he has advised both private and public actors on litigating, appealing, and settling substantial cases. 

Joshua is particularly experienced at defamation litigation. He was part of the legal team that successfully represented writer E. Jean Carroll in two suits against Donald Trump, securing jury verdicts of $5 million and $83.3 million. In those proceedings, Joshua successfully argued three appeals before the Second Circuit and another before the en banc D.C. Court of Appeals. Joshua previously represented Liz Mair in successfully defending against two defamation suits filed by Representative Devin Nunes concerning her political criticism. And in September 2020, Joshua successfully represented Stanford Medical School faculty who were threatened with a defamation suit for scientific criticism of policies advocated by former White House Coronavirus Advisor Dr. Scott Atlas. 

In that same vein, Joshua maintains a substantial civil rights and constitutional practice. These matters have encompassed LGBTQ rights, religious liberty, freedom of speech, privacy rights, racial justice, prisoners’ rights, firearm regulation, criminal defendants’ rights, and the separation of powers. While many of these representations have involved litigation—or the filing of amicus briefs—Joshua has also worked on civil rights issues in counseling or confidential settings.

Alongside his litigation experience, Joshua has written for diverse audiences about legal issues. His articles have appeared in The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, The Harvard Law Review Forum, The University of Chicago Law Review, Just Security, The Daily Journal, The Atlantic and Wired. He has been invited to speak at Harvard Law School, the 92nd Street Y, the National Constitution Center and Politics & Prose. Joshua also serves as an Adjunct Professor at Georgetown Law School, where he co-teaches “Constitutional Litigation and the Executive Branch.” Joshua serves on the Board of Directors for Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) and the American Constitution Society (ACS), as well as the Amicus Committee for Families Against Mandatory Minimums (FAMM).

During his tenure at the firm, Joshua has twice taken leave to serve as counsel to the House Judiciary Committee: from October 2019 through February 2020 for the first impeachment and trial of President Trump, and then again following the events of January 6, 2021 for the second impeachment trial of President Trump. Professor Larry Tribe has described Joshua as “the backbone of the legal efforts behind both impeachments.” Barry Berke, who served as Chief Impeachment Counsel for the second impeachment trial, praised Joshua as “phenomenal,” telling The National Law Journal that Joshua is “the most brilliant constitutional scholar [he has] ever worked with.” And in his book on the second impeachment (Unthinkable), Representative Jamie Raskin described Joshua as a “proven constitutional lawyer with a golden pen.” Joshua has since been quoted in the New York Times, Washington Post, Politico, Just Security, and many other publications on questions of impeachment and congressional power.

Joshua received his B.A., magna cum laude, from the University of Pennsylvania; his MSt, with distinction, from Oxford University; and his J.D., magna cum laude, from Harvard Law School. While in law school, Joshua interned at the Public Citizen Litigation Group and the Federal Defenders of New York. He also served as Articles & Book Reviews Chair of the Harvard Law Review. Following law school, Joshua clerked for the Honorable J. Paul Oetken of the Southern District of New York, the Honorable Stephen Reinhardt of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and Justice Anthony M. Kennedy of the United States Supreme Court.