Neal Katyal

Neal Katyal is a distinguished legal scholar and litigator, notable for his roles as former Acting Solicitor General of the United States and a leading appellate attorney. After leading a landmark victory in Hamdan v. Rumsfeld in 2006, where he served as lead counsel for Guantanamo Bay detainees and successfully struck down military tribunals, Neal Katyal went on to serve as Acting Solicitor General of the United States from 2010 to 2011. In this role, he represented the federal government in appellate matters before the Supreme Court and Courts of Appeals, successfully defending the constitutionality of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and securing a victorious defense for former Attorney General John Ashcroft.

His contributions earned him the Edmund Randolph Award, the highest civilian honor from the U.S. Department of Justice, in 2011. Mr. Katyal has argued 52 cases before the Supreme Court of the United States.

He refined his expertise through clerkships for Judge Guido Calabresi (U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit) and Justice Stephen G. Breyer (U.S. Supreme Court), and served as National Security Advisor and Special Assistant to the Deputy Attorney General (1998-1999).

His influence extended to working with the prosecution team in State v. Chauvin in 2021. He achieved a landmark victory in Moore v. Harper in the 2022-23 term, a case crucial for American democracy.

appellate practice in 2025. This will include the firm’s commitment of $100 million in pro bono legal services for causes he supports. A prolific author of scholarly articles, he has testified before both the U.S. House and Senate, also appearing on news programs and acting in television series like Netflix’s House of Cards and Showtime’s Billions.