EAMON JOYCE has handled dozens of cases in the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, arguing many, has handled appeals in nearly every other circuit, and has filed more than 50 merits and certiorari-stage briefs in the United States Supreme Court. His clients have prevailed in cases he argued before the United States Courts of Appeals for the Second, Sixth and Eleventh Circuits, and before the New York Court of Appeals and the Appellate Division of the New York Supreme Court. Eamon’s appeals have addressed a wide range of issues, including federal preemption, federal jurisdiction, class action procedure, the Federal Arbitration Act, securities, shareholder rights, administrative law, punitive damages, and constitutional law.
Eamon also regularly serves as a first-chair lawyer in the federal district courts, in cases presenting difficult and novel legal questions. He has argued dispositive motions and against class certification motions, and litigated evidentiary hearings on class certification.
Eamon has repeatedly been ranked by Chambers USA among the leading lawyers for New York Litigation: General Commercial (2022–2024), and clients described him in the 2022 edition as “an extremely talented and thoughtful attorney who provides excellent appellate advocacy.”
Representative appellate matters include:
- Bruce v. Citigroup Inc. (2d Cir. 2023), argued appeal on behalf of prevailing appellants in which the appeals court held as a matter of law that plaintiff could not seek class-wide relief for alleged violations of bankruptcy courts’ discharge injunctions because one bankruptcy court lacks authority to enforce discharge injunction issued by another bankruptcy court.
- N.Y. State Department of Environmental Conservation v. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (2d Cir. 2021), argued appeal on behalf of prevailing intervenor in case of first impression within the circuit in which the Second Circuit held that FERC correctly concluded that New York State waived its ability to act on intervenor’s application for Clean Water Act certification in connection with natural gas pipeline project. The American Lawyer gave Eamon and his team a “shout out” in its Litigator of the Week feature.
- In the Matter of National Fuel Gas Supply Corp. v. Schueckler (N.Y. 2020), argued appeal in which the Court of Appeals reversed the denial of our client’s exercise of eminent domain in connection with a significant infrastructure project.
- Jackson v. Abernathy (2d Cir. 2020), argued appeal in which the Second Circuit affirmed that securities law claims against our clients failed for lack of scienter, and in which the appeals court resolved collective corporate scienter issues of first impression in the circuit.
- Deason v. Fujifilm Holdings Corp. (N.Y. App. Div. 1st Dep’t 2018), argued appeal in which the Appellate Division reversed trial court’s injunction prohibiting our client from consummating a multibillion dollar transaction and reversed the denial of our client’s motion to dismiss.
- Whalen v. Michaels Stores, Inc. (2d Cir. 2017), argued appeal in which the Second Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a putative consumer class action against our client for lack of Article III standing.
- Florence v. Board of Chosen Freeholders of the County of Burlington (U.S. 2012), which held the Fourth Amendment permits a jail to conduct a suspicionless strip-search of every individual admitted into the general jail population. Sidley’s client prevailed and Florence was named one of the top 10 cases of the 2011 term by the National Law Journal.
Eamon’s advocacy on behalf of clients in appellate and class action litigation has earned him acknowledgment in industry publications. Benchmark Litigation named him a “Future Star” in the area of Dispute Resolution from 2020–2024. In recognition of his class action defense work, Eamon was recommended in 2017’s The Legal 500 US in the area of Product Liability, Mass Torts and Class Actions: Consumer Products. He has also been named to the “New York Metro Rising Stars” list each year from 2011–2017 in the Appellate category, as published in New York Super Lawyers Magazine. Legal Media Group, Euromoney named Eamon a “Rising Star” in Litigation for 2015 and 2016. He has also been named one of Law360’s Rising Stars for 2015 for his appellate practice.
Eamon first joined Sidley in Washington, D.C., and rejoined the firm in 2004 after having served as a law clerk for the Honorable Roger L. Gregory of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. He earned his law degree from the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School, where he was a semifinalist in the law school’s moot court competition and a member of the National Moot Court and the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court teams. Eamon was also an editor of the formerly named Hybrid: Journal of Law and Social Change. He graduated cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Vassar College.