Judge Garland a Quick Study on Telecom Issues

President Obama's nominee to fill the vacant seat on the Supreme Court doesn't have a high-profile history on telecom law, but Judge Merrick Garland has dealt with more than his share of arcane Federal Communications Commission-related issues.

As the top judge for the DC Circuit, Judge Garland ruled on cases involving set-top boxes, the effect of cell towers on migratory birds and intercarrier compensation, an issue Arent Fox partner Mike Hazzard says is "as arcane as net neutrality, and in some ways, more so." Hazzard described him as a quick study on the often complicated, inside-baseball telecom issues that appear before the courts. "There's not a judge in my experience that's been better prepared or able to understand the technology and the law and how the regulations are applied," Hazzard said. More broadly, Judge Garland has had a penchant for agency deference, according to numerous reviews of his judicial history. Such a stance could be a boost for the FCC if the net neutrality fight reaches the Supreme Court.