Quote:
Originally Posted by DeltAlum
Please pardon my ignorance, but I've never been entirely clear on exactly what the Solicitor General's role is vis a vis the Attorney General and other top government lawyers.
|
No problem; I'm a bit of a Supreme Court nerd, so this stuff really interests me. The Solicitor General conducts all litigation on behalf of the US in the Supreme Court, and oversees the handling of litigation in the federal courts. The office decides which cases the government will seek to be reviewed by the Supreme Court, and files briefs and petitions accordingly.
They are the 4th ranking person in the DOJ, behind the AG, Deputy AG, and Associate AG. They are also referred to as a "10th Justice" on the Supreme Court, because they practice before the Court so regularly, and because the Court will frequently grants the office's request or recommendation that cert be granted in a particular case (a big deal because of how few cases actually get to the Court).
A good summary is available here:
http://www.usdoj.gov/osg/about_us.htm .
Threaded Mode
