The solicitor general is responsible for representing the United States government in the U.S. Supreme Court. Sometimes referred to as the “tenth justice,” the Solicitor General’s office is involved in approximately two-thirds of the cases before the Supreme Court. Among other things, the office determines whether to seek High Court review of lower court decisions, whether to intervene or submit amicus curiae briefs in pending cases and what positions the federal government should take.
As the nation’s 48th solicitor general, Elizabeth Prelogar has argued more than 20 cases before the Supreme Court, including on the Second Amendment, the scope of federal regulatory authority and the constitutionality of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
The School of Law will host a discussion titled “Representing the United States in the Supreme Court” between Prelogar and Jonathan Adler, the Johan Verheij Memorial Professor of Law and director of the Coleman P. Burke Center for Environmental Law, Wednesday, Sept. 4, from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. in the law school’s Moot Courtroom (A59).
In this wide-ranging discussion, Prelogar will weigh in on the nature of her office, how it has changed over time, her views on Supreme Court advocacy, what it is like to represent the federal government at the highest levels and broader legal trends in the Supreme Court and American law.