Neal Katyal, an Indian-American attorney, has recently been praised as a “national hero” and a “true patriot” following his successful argument in what legal experts believe to be one of US history’s most significant constitutional cases.
Representing the watchdog group Common Cause, Katyal secured a 6-3 judgment from the Supreme Court on Monday, rejecting the notion that state legislatures hold supremacy over courts in establishing election rules. This theory, advanced by pro-Trump conservatives, aimed to manipulate power and was deemed untenable by the court.
The Moore v. Harper case ruling halted a potential radical overhaul of America’s election laws, preventing state legislatures from unilaterally determining rules for federal elections without proper oversight. The Supreme Court, with a coalition of three liberal and three conservative justices, concluded that state legislative actions are subject to review by state courts, limited by both federal and state constitutions.
Esteemed legal and constitutional scholars eagerly anticipated the ruling, including former President Barack Obama, who celebrated the decision, emphasizing the protection of democracy and the preservation of checks and balances. Obama expressed his gratitude on Twitter, stating, “Today, the Supreme Court rejected the fringe independent state legislature theory that threatened to upend our democracy and dismantle our system of checks and balances. This ruling rejects the far-right theory that threatened to undermine our democracy and makes clear that courts can continue defending voters’ rights.”
Katyal, 53, received widespread acclaim for his achievement, having argued approximately 50 cases before the US Supreme Court, surpassing the previous record held by the renowned Thurgood Marshall. Mia Farrow, an activist actress, tweeted her appreciation, saying, “Thank you to two great Americans & magnificent legal minds @neal_katyal and @akapczynski #SupremeCourt #USAWins,” as liberals and moderates across America celebrated the ruling. Judge Luttig, a distinguished jurist associated with the case, described it as the “single most important constitutional case for American Democracy since the Nation’s Founding almost 250 years ago.” He further praised Katyal’s oral argument as “the single best” he has ever witnessed before the Supreme Court.
Born to immigrant parents from India, with his mother as a pediatrician and his father an engineer, Katyal graduated from Dartmouth College and obtained his law degree from Yale, studying under the esteemed US constitutional scholar of Indian origin, Akhil Amar.
He currently serves as a partner at the law firm Hogan Lovells and teaches National Security Law at Georgetown University Law Center, where he holds one of the university’s youngest tenured and chaired professorships. Additionally, he has served as a visiting professor at Harvard and Yale law schools.
Notably, Katyal has made cameo appearances in Netflix’s House of Cards and Showtime’s Billions, playing himself in both series, in addition to other acting credits. He is also a frequent guest and commentator on the liberal MSNBC, where an enthusiastic anchor expressed a desire to give him a standing ovation for his legal victory, if not for the entanglement in wires.
