former Acting Solicitor General Neal Katyal appreciation thread

[CatWoman]

Winning tariff lawyer says Trump's case 'fundamentally un-American'

Veteran Supreme Court lawyer Neal Katyal says he knew he'd beat President Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs case, calling his actions 'gravely illegal'

WASHINGTON – The lawyer who won a sweeping new Supreme Court ruling blocking President Donald Trump’s tariff action said Feb. 20 he always believed the court would ultimately side with him – even as he acknowledged the steep odds of challenging presidential power.“It was a complete victory for us,” Neal Katyal told USA TODAY shortly after the decision. “We got everything we asked for, and I thought the Supreme Court stood up for our Constitution.”

“We always believed this was gravely illegal,” added Katyal, “and it was very gratifying to see six members of the Supreme Court agree with us.”The ruling marked a rare and consequential rebuke of presidential authority in the trade arena, where courts have historically given the executive branch wide latitude, said Katyal, a 55-year-old Georgetown University law professor and former acting Solicitor General in the Obama administration.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2026/02/20/tariff-lawyer-neal-katyal-scotus-case-trump/88783744007/