“The part that the public sees is the arguments up at the podium and the briefs that we file. But a significant part of the job - in fact, I'd say I spend more of my time on this part of the job, which is deciding what the position of the United States will be in the cases that we're going to be participating in before the court.” StatesFactsJobsUnitedCasesUnited StatesPositionArgumentCourtSignificantMy TimeFilesParticipating Author:Donald Verrilli Jr.
“When we're not a party, we sometimes file as amicus, as friend of the court, 25, 30 times a term, sometimes more. And in each of those cases, we've got to decide what position the government's going to take. And that is the solicitor general's job to make that decision.” SometimesGovernmentJobsTermDecisionPartyCasesPositionCourtFilesSolicitors Author:Donald Verrilli Jr.
“The cases involving the question of whether U.S. courts should be open to claims of international human rights violations brought by foreign persons against foreign government officials. And the State Department on the one side has got a very consistent and powerful view that U.S. courts should be open to those claims because there needs to be a place in the world where they can be brought. And those human rights norms ought to be real and enforceable, and we ought to be a beacon to the world.” WorldNeedsShouldHumansPersonsRealStatesGovernmentSidesViewsPowerfulCasesRightsOughtClaimsCourtInternationalHuman RightsOfficialsDepartmentConsistentBeing RealNormViolationInvolvingPlaces In The WorldBeaconsGovernment Officials Author:Donald Verrilli Jr.
“I don't think this is a situation where you can say that Congress was avoiding any mention of the tax power. It'd be one thing if Congress explicitly disavowed an exercise of the tax power. But given that it hasn't done so, it seems to me that it's - not only is it fair to read this as an exercise of the tax power, but this court has got an obligation to construe it as an exercise of the tax power if it can be upheld on that basis.” IfsThinkingDoneSeemsGivenSituationOne ThingExerciseTaxesFairsBasesCourtCongressObligationAvoiding Author:Donald Verrilli Jr.
“The moot court process in our office when we get ready, we - everybody, including the SG, does two moot courts for each argument. And they are phenomenal, and they predict 90 percent of the questions that I get asked, at least 90 percent.” DoeTwoProcessReadyOfficePercentArgumentCourtIncludingPhenomenal Author:Donald Verrilli Jr.
“The fact that you have a policy of such consequence directly affecting millions of people and you have a legal question of great consequence about the scope of the president's authority to act in implementing the immigration laws in this way and you have a one-line decision from the court affirming by an equally-divided court, it's an inevitable consequence of where we are.” PeopleWayFactsLawPresidentLinesDecisionMillionsPolicyAuthorityConsequenceCourtImmigrationInevitableDividedScopeAffirmingOne LineImplementingImmigration Laws Author:Donald Verrilli Jr.
“I'm representing the United States. And I'm representing the United States, and my office is representing the United States day after day in front of the court. And I think it's the right thing to do, to carry that out with some dignity and some respect for the process and respect for the institution. And so that led me to just, you know, move the dial a little bit in the direction of calmness.” ThinkingKnowsLittlesStatesMovingBitsProcessUnitedUnited StatesFrontsOfficeLittle BitDignityInstitutionsCourtThings To DoRight ThingCalmnessRepresenting Author:Donald Verrilli Jr.
“I'm arguing for progressive positions on behalf of a progressive administration in front of a court who, before Justice [Antonin] Scalia's death, had a conservative majority that was quite conservative, frankly.” JusticeFrontsPositionMajorityCourtConservativeArguingAdministrationProgressiveBehalf Author:Donald Verrilli Jr.
