Henry Charles Whitaker (born April 29, 1978) is an American legal scholar who has served as the

Solicitor General of Florida The solicitor general of Florida or Florida solicitor general is the top appellate (appeals) solicitor (lawyer) for the U.S. State of Florida. It is an appointed position in the Office of the Florida Attorney General and the individual serves at t ...

since 2021. Previously he was the Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Counsel at the U.S. Department of Justice in the District of Columbia.

Education

Whitaker graduated from Yale University in 2000 with a Bachelor of Arts, ''

magna cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some So ...

''. He then attended

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States. Each class ...

, where he received a

Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...

, ''magna cum laude'', in 2003. Whitaker clerked for Judge

David B. Sentelle David Bryan Sentelle (born February 12, 1943) is a United States federal judge, Senior United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Early life, family and education David Sentelle was bor ...

of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit and Justice Clarence Thomas of the

Supreme Court of the United States The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...

Lawyer

Prior to his Florida appointment, he was the Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Counsel at the U.S. Department of Justice. In that position, he advised the White House Counsel and cabinet secretaries regarding constitutional and statutory questions. Following his clerkships, he served on the Appellate Staff of the Civil Division of the DOJ where he argued more than 40 federal court appeals. He is a contributor to and member of the Federalist Society.

Solicitor

Whitaker was appointed as Florida Solicitor General by Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody in July, 2021. He was admitted to the Florida Bar (ID #1031175) on September 22, 2021. As Florida Solicitor General, Whitaker oversees civil appeals involving the state's interests in all state and federal appellate courts. He also serves as the ''Richard Ervin Visiting Professor'' in the Florida State University College of Law where he teaches. His $165,000 salary was split between the state and FSU. While Solicitor General, Whitaker argued cases before the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeal, the

Florida Supreme Court The Supreme Court of Florida is the highest court in the U.S. state of Florida. It consists of seven members: the chief justice and six justices. Six members are chosen from six districts around the state to foster geographic diversity, and one ...

, the First District Court of Appeal, several Judicial Circuits, and United States Supreme Court.

References

External links

Florida Solicitor General profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Whitaker, Henry C. Florida State University faculty 1978 births Living people Yale University alumni Harvard Law School alumni Florida Republicans Solicitors general of Florida Florida lawyers People from Falls Church, Virginia