Chris Geidner, a.k.a., the Law Dork

I am the award-winning senior political editor at Metro Weekly, D.C.’s LGBT newsmagazine, where I cover Congress, the White House and the courts. I’ve been writing for Metro Weekly since December 2009, shortly after moving back to the city.

Among other topics, I have provided some of the most extensive coverage in the country on the repeal of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” law and the challenge to California’s Proposition 8. Other topics I’ve covered range from Supreme Court challenges to local City Council races and from White House press briefings to congressional hearings. In addition to Metro Weekly, I also have contributed to The Atlantic Online, The American Prospect, Advocate.com, Salon, The Huffington Post and others.

In 2012, I have been nominated for the Outstanding Magazine Article in the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation Media Awards for my four-part series on the 15th anniversary of the passage of the Defense of Marriage Act. In 2011, I received the Excellence in News Writing Award from the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association for my coverage of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” repeal and the second place award for Excellence in Online Journalism for my coverage of the lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of Proposition 8 at Metro Weekly’s Poliglot blog. I also received honorable mention for the NLGJA’s Sarah Pettit Memorial Award for Excellence in LGBT Media in 2011.

I returned to writing — specifically, to Law Dork — in February 2009, after more than two years of experience working in state government — on the transition and in the office of former Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann and then for former Ohio Attorney General Nancy Rogers.

While in the Attorney General’s Office, I focused on multistate efforts — including amici curiae briefs, pre-litigation investigations and federal legislative and agency communications — and all aspects of securities fraud and shareholder derivative litigation. I also worked closely with our communications, legislative and public affairs staffs to ensure proper promotion of legal and policy initiatives of the Office.

Prior to serving in the Attorney General’s Office, I was an associate for more than a year at a mid-sized law firm based in Columbus, where I focused primarily on government-related litigation.

I graduated in 2005 from the Ohio State University Moritz College of Law, where I served as Editor in Chief of the Ohio State Law Journal and a research assistant for several professors. While in law school, and until beginning my time in the Attorney General’s Office, I blogged on legal, political and journalism issues at Law Dork, which received recognition as the Best Law Blog in the 2005 Weblog Awards and a Finalist for the Best LGBT Blog in the 2004 Weblog Awards. During this time, I also wrote for The Washington Blade and FindLaw’s Writ. Over the years, I have guest blogged at Wonkette, ThinkProgress Wonk Room, ACSblog and The Bilerico Project.

Before law school, I was the editorial writer at the Tribune Chronicle in Warren, Ohio. Earlier, I had spent time during my undergraduate education in Washington, D.C., interning or volunteering at differing times for the White House, the U.S. Senate and a nonprofit advocacy organization.

For my first post back to blogging in 2009, check out “A Return . . .” explaining my initial goals for this blog, then check out “Why Here? Why Now?” explaining my move to this site. At this time, almost all of my writing is at Metro Weekly, where I blog at Poliglot: A queer spin on politics.

You also can see a collection of my Selected Writings and follow me on Twitter.

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