Keith Diggs
admitted to practice law in Arizona, California, & Texas.
no air travel | p.o. box 2265 | tucson, az 85702
twelfth-year public servant, unforgiven by the feds.
words on this site are my own, not my employer's.
no, I'm not taking clients or giving legal advice. sorry.
professional experience
City of Austin
(Barton Springs Pool)
open water lifeguard & swim coach
Austin, Texas
2024–2026
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rescued 15+ swimmers from drowning, enforced rules, & cared for facilities at Barton Springs Pool.
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coached summer youth swim team at Dittmar Neighborhood Pool.
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99+% attendance over 380+ scheduled shifts with the Aquatic Division.
Yes In My Back Yard
(YIMBY Law)
attorney
online in California
2022–2024
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secured dismissal of a state constitutional (art. 34) challenge to a land acquisition for public housing.
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negotiated settlement with City of Cupertino submitting to the Housing Accountability Act “builder’s remedy” (see Cal. Gov. Code § 65589.5(d)(5) [suspending zoning bans on certain housing projects]).
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maintained writ proceeding against City of Sausalito for forgoing California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA,” Cal. Pub. Res. Code §§ 21000 et seq.) review of its general plan’s housing element.
Institute for Justice
attorney
Tempe, Arizona
2015–2022
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helped litigate high-impact precedents on civil forfeiture, professional speech, & due process, e.g.:
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State v. Johnson (In re $39,500), 521 P.3d 631 (Ariz. Ct. App. 2022) (forfeiture violates due process).
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Platt v. Moore, 15 F.4th 895 (9th Cir. 2021) (forfeiture well-pled to violate due process).
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Pac. Coast Horseshoeing Sch. v. Kirchmeyer, 961 F.3d 1061 (9th Cir. 2020) (teaching how to shoe a horse protected by the First Amendment).
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City of Charlestown v. Charlestown Pleasant Ridge Neighborhood Ass’n, 111 N.E.3d 199 (Ind. Ct. App. 2018) (abusive code enforcement enjoined).
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see also Shaw v. Metro. Gov’t of Nashville & Davidson County (filed 2017) (Tenn. Ct. App. 2025) (selective ban on serving clients at home violates equal protection).
King & Spalding LLP
project assistant
Atlanta, Georgia
2009–2011
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helped manage e-discovery for multidistrict litigation & multiple administrative agency investigations.
City of Tucson
principal asst. city atty.
Tucson, Arizona
2026–
Cardinal Hill Swim & Racquet Club
swim coach & lifeguard
Vienna, Virginia
2003–2009, 2011
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learned to love working with water.
education
University of Michigan
J.D., cum laude
Ann Arbor, Michigan
2014
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Michigan Law Review, executive editor (2013–2014).
Emory University
B.A., politics & music
Atlanta, Georgia
2009
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Division III NCAA swimming, co-captain (2008–2009) & national champion (400 IM, 2008).
Arizona State University Law Journal
with Paul Avelar
Policing for Profit: The Abuse of Civil Asset Forfeiture
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contributor, 2d ed. 2015.
for Institute for Justice
