Law Students

First Female Solicitor General?

By jlwallace

The U.S. Solicitor General position has been held by many prominent lawyers--Thurgood Marshall and Robert Bork, to name two--but the position has yet to be filled by a woman. Several sources are reporting that "some women could be on Obama's short list for the spot", including Washington lawyer Beth Brinkmann, Stanford Law School professor and former dean Kathleen Sullivan, Harvard Law Dean Elena Kagan, former New York State solicitor general Preeta Bansal, and MetLife litigation counsel Teresa Wynn Roseborough.

Reporting on the immediate impact Obama's decision could have, Joan Biskupic writes:

Unlike justices, who are appointed for life, the solicitor general (SG) serves for four years or less during the president's term. A vacancy on the bench may arise by next summer. Five of the nine justices are 70 or older, and John Paul Stevens is 88. In recent decades, retiring justices generally have waited until the end of a court term, around June, to reveal their intentions.

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Full post as published by Ms. JD on November 06, 2008 (boomark / email).