Edwin Smiley Kneedler (born January 4, 1946) is an American lawyer who has served as Deputy United States Solicitor General since 1993. As of June 2020, he has argued more cases before the Supreme Court of the United States than any other active advocate.

Early life and education

Kneedler attended North Penn High School; he graduated in 1963. Kneedler earned a B.A. degree in economics in 1967 from

Lehigh University Lehigh University (LU) is a private research university in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania. The university was established in 1865 by businessman Asa Packer and was originally affiliated with the Epi ...

. After graduating, he served as a

VISTA Vista usually refers to a distant view. Vista may also refer to: Software *Windows Vista, the line of Microsoft Windows client operating systems released in 2006 and 2007 * VistA, (Veterans Health Information Systems and Technology Architecture) ...

volunteer in Oregon. He then earned a J.D. degree from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1974. From 1974 until 1975, he clerked for Judge James R. Browning on the

United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth 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 ...

. Kneedler was admitted to the bar of the state of Oregon in 1975.

Professional career

In October 1975, Kneedler joined the

Office of Legal Counsel The Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) is an office in the United States Department of Justice that assists the Attorney General's position as legal adviser to the President and all executive branch agencies. It drafts legal opinions of the Attorney ...

in the

United States Department of Justice The United States Department of Justice (DOJ), also known as the Justice Department, is a federal executive department of the United States government tasked with the enforcement of federal law and administration of justice in the United Stat ...

. He then joined the office of the Solicitor General in June 1979. He was appointed a Deputy Solicitor General in 1993. On March 17, 2008, he argued his 100th case before the Supreme Court. On April 27, 2022, he argued his 150th case before the Supreme Court. Kneedler became acting solicitor general on January 20, 2009, with the expiration of the presidential term of

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

. Kneedler was appointed by Bush on January 16, 2009, to replace

Gregory G. Garre Gregory G. Garre (born November 1, 1964) is an American lawyer who served as the 44th United States Solicitor General from June 19, 2008, to January 16, 2009. He is currently a partner at Latham & Watkins, a private law firm. Life and education ...

, whose term as Solicitor General concluded on January 16, 2009. Kneedler's tenure as Acting United States Solicitor General ended on March 19, 2009, with the confirmation of Elena Kagan.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kneedler, Edwin S. 1946 births Living people Lehigh University alumni University of Virginia School of Law alumni United States Solicitors General Lawyers who have represented the United States government