Raphael "Raph" Jeffrey Carlisle Graybill (born February 20, 1989) is an American attorney who has served as chief legal counsel to

Steve Bullock Steve, Steven, or Stephen Bullock may refer to: *Steve Bullock (British politician) (born 1953), first directly elected mayor of the London Borough of Lewisham *Steve Bullock (American politician) (born 1966), 24th Governor of Montana (2013–2021) ...

, the Governor of Montana, since 2017. Graybill was a candidate for

attorney general of Montana The Montana Department of Justice is a state law enforcement agency of Montana. The Department is equivalent to the State Bureau of Investigation in other states. The Montana Attorney General, currently Republican Austin Knudsen, heads the agen ...

in the

2020 general election The following elections were scheduled to occur in 2020. The International Foundation for Electoral Systems maintains a comprehensive list of upcoming elections on its E-Guide Platform. The National Democratic Institute also maintains a calend ...

Early life and education

Graybill is a fifth-generation native of

Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbi ...

. He was born and raised in

Great Falls Great may refer to: Descriptions or measurements * Great, a relative measurement in physical space, see Size * Greatness, being divine, majestic, superior, majestic, or transcendent People * List of people known as "the Great" *Artel Great (born ...

and graduated from

Great Falls High School Great Falls High School (or GFHS) is a public high school for grades 9 through 12 located in Great Falls, Montana. Established in 1890, it was the city's first high school. The school's original building, constructed in 1896, is now on the Natio ...

. In 2010, Graybill earned a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

degree in

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...

from

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

. He then studied as a

Rhodes Scholar The Rhodes Scholarship is an international postgraduate award for students to study at the University of Oxford, in the United Kingdom. Established in 1902, it is the oldest graduate scholarship in the world. It is considered among the world' ...

Magdalen College, Oxford Magdalen College (, ) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford. It was founded in 1458 by William of Waynflete. Today, it is the fourth wealthiest college, with a financial endowment of £332.1 million as of 2019 and one of the s ...

, where he earned a Master of Philosophy (MPhil) degree in

political theory Political philosophy or political theory is the philosophical study of government, addressing questions about the nature, scope, and legitimacy of public agents and institutions and the relationships between them. Its topics include politics, l ...

in 2012. Graybill 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 ...

from

Yale Law School Yale Law School (Yale Law or YLS) is the law school of Yale University, a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. It was established in 1824 and has been ranked as the best law school in the United States by ''U ...

in 2015. Graybill served as an auxiliary

police officer A police officer (also called a policeman and, less commonly, a policewoman) is a warranted law employee of a police force. In most countries, "police officer" is a generic term not specifying a particular rank. In some, the use of the ...

with the

New York City Police Department The New York City Police Department (NYPD), officially the City of New York Police Department, established on May 23, 1845, is the primary municipal law enforcement agency within the City of New York, the largest and one of the oldest in ...

for four years while studying at

Career

In 2008, Graybill was elected as a

Democratic National Committee The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is the governing body of the United States Democratic Party. The committee coordinates strategy to support Democratic Party candidates throughout the country for local, state, and national office, as well a ...

delegate and had the distinction of being the youngest DNC delegate elected to the Montana Delegation. After graduating from

in 2015, Graybill served as the

law clerk A law clerk or a judicial clerk is a person, generally someone who provides direct counsel and assistance to a lawyer or judge by researching issues and drafting legal opinions for cases before the court. Judicial clerks often play significant ...

to Chief Judge

Sidney R. Thomas Sidney Runyan Thomas (born August 14, 1953) is an American lawyer and jurist serving as a U.S. circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit since 1996. He served as the Ninth Circuit's chief judge from 2014 to 2021. H ...

of the

U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (in case citations, 9th Cir.) is the U.S. federal court of appeals that has appellate jurisdiction over the U.S. district courts in the following federal judicial districts: * District o ...

Billings, Montana Billings is the largest city in the U.S. state of Montana, with a population of 117,116 as of the 2020 census. Located in the south-central portion of the state, it is the seat of Yellowstone County and the principal city of the Billings Metrop ...

. He then worked in private practice for the firm Susman Godfrey LLP, representing small businesses harmed by unfair business practices.

Chief legal counsel to the governor

In 2017, Montana Governor Steve Bullock appointed Graybill as chief legal counsel. As the lead attorney in the Montana Executive Branch, he represented the legal interests of the administration and its constituents. In this role, Graybill has represented cases in the Supreme Court of Montana and

United States Supreme Court 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 ...

and set precedents in easements and public land access, veto powers, and election laws including mail in ballots and dark money disclosure requirements. Notable cases: * ''Lamm v. Bullock'' (U.S. Supreme Court / U.S. District Court) * ''Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue'' (U.S. Supreme Court) * ''

Janus v. AFSCME ''Janus v. American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, Council 31'', No. 16-1466, 585 U.S. ___ (2018), abbreviated ''Janus v. AFSCME'', was a landmark decision of the US Supreme Court on US labor law, concerning the power of la ...

'' (U.S. Supreme Court) * ''Bullock v. Internal Revenue Service'' (U.S. District Court) * ''Bullock v. Fox'' (Montana Supreme Court) * ''Montana Smoke Free Association v. Bullock'' (Montana District Court) * ''Bullock v. Stapleton'' (Montana District Court)

COVID-19 response

As chief legal counsel, Graybill helped design Montana’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Montana. Graybill participated in drafting the governor’s executive orders, including No. 2-2020, that shaped new rules in the state designed to limit the spread of the virus. He also coordinated investigations and enforcement through the Montana Department of Health and Human Services. Graybill was also charged with defending Montana's mail-in ballots for the November 3, 2020 election as part of the state's COVID-19 measures to protect voter and election worker safety during the pandemic. President

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...

's campaign brought a lawsuit against Montana Governor Bullock's mail-in ballot directive. Governor Bullock's directive allowed Montana counties to conduct elections using mail-in ballots if counties determined that in-person polling stations posed a significant public health risk. Graybill won the case for Montana in the U.S. District Court, and, when the Trump Campaign attempted to contest the decision in a petition to the

U.S. Supreme Court 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 ...

, the Supreme court sided with Graybill and the State of Montana, which allowed counties to proceed with their plans to send out mail-in ballots.

2020 Montana attorney general campaign

On May 8, 2019, Graybill announced his candidacy for

Montana attorney general The Montana Department of Justice is a state law enforcement agency of Montana. The Department is equivalent to the State Bureau of Investigation in other states. The Montana State attorney general, Attorney General, currently Republican Austin ...

. Graybill won the June 2, 2020 Democratic primary, defeating

state representative A state legislature is a legislative branch or body of a political subdivision in a federal system. Two federations literally use the term "state legislature": * The legislative branches of each of the fifty state governments of the United Sta ...

Kimberly Dudik Kimberly Dudik (born November 4, 1974) is an American politician and attorney who served as a member of the Montana House of Representatives from 2013 to 2021. Dudik was a candidate for attorney general of Montana in the 2020 Democratic primary. ...

. On November 3, 2020, Graybill lost the general election to Republican

Austin Knudsen Austin Miles Knudsen (born 1980/1981) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the Attorney General of Montana. He formerly served as the Speaker of the Montana House of Representatives from 2015 to 2019. During his time in the Montana H ...

Personal life

In December 2017, Graybill married Marisa Meredith Franklin, the Mathematics Instructional Coordinator at the Montana Office of Public Instruction. They have one daughter, Genevieve.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Graybill, Raph Living people 1989 births Politicians from Great Falls, Montana Montana lawyers Alumni of the University of Oxford American Rhodes Scholars Yale Law School alumni Montana Democrats Columbia College (New York) alumni Great Falls High School alumni