Neal-Katyal
Neal Katyal | Biography

Quick Wiki

  • Full Name Neal Kumar Katyal
  • Nickname Neal Katyal
  • Birth Date Mar 12, 1970
  • Age 54 Years, 1 Months
  • Ethnicity Indian-American
  • Nationality Indian
  • Birthplace United States of America
  • Orignally India
  • Zodiac Sign Pisces
  • Religious Affiliation Not Disclosed
  • Occupation Law Practicioner
  • University Dartmouth & Yale Law School
  • Education B.A. & J.D. in Law
  • Relationship Status Not Disclosed
Profound Litigator of Supreme Court of America

Neal Katyal | Biography

Former Acting Solicitor General

Neal Katyal is one of the leading SCOTUS litigators who was involved in the landmark 2006 case Hamdan vs. Rumsfeld. 


Who is Neal Katyal?

Neal Katyal was born to Indian immigrant parents on 12 March 1970 in the United States. He has not shared much information about his childhood or religion. However, he received his B.A. from Dartmouth College in 1991, followed by which he completed his J.D. in Law from Yale Law School. 

After graduating, he worked as a summer associate at Hogan & Hartson, the legacy law firm of Hogan Lovells. Subsequent to this, he clerked for The Honorable Guido Calabresi of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and The Honorable Stephen G. Breyer of the United States Supreme Court. 

Furthermore, at the age of 27, Katyal was the youngest professor to teach law at Georgetown University Law Center for almost two decades. He had obtained tenure and a chaired professorship. Alongside Georgetown, he also taught at Harvard and Yale law schools as a visiting lecturer.

In addition to teaching, in 1998, Katyal joined the Deputy Attorney General's Office as National Security Advisor and Special Assistant to the Deputy Attorney General.

He worked in that position until 1999 when he also authored hundreds of scholarly papers in law journals. While he also composed several op-ed pieces in media such as the New York Times and the Washington Post and has testified before multiple committees of both the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate.

Pioneering Supreme Court (SCOTUS)

During the Obama Administration, Katyal served as an Acting Solicitor General of the United States, where he successfully argued several major Supreme Court cases. The issues on hand involved a wide range of concerns. 

It included his successful defense of the constitutionality of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Followed by his defense of former Attorney General John Ashcroft for alleged abuses in the war on terror. And his unanimous victory against eight states who sued the nation's leading power plants for contributing to global warming. 

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As an acting Solicitor General, Neal was in charge of defending the federal government in all appeal issues before the United States Supreme Court and Courts of appeals. He was Counsel of Record in the United States Supreme Court hundreds of times.

He was also the only head of the Solicitor General's office to argue a case in front of the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.

Eventually, Katyal derived to private practice, joining Hogan Lovells US, LLP. However, his SCOTUS campaign did not end there. He continued pleading before the Supreme Court, and he has argued 37 cases, 35 of them within the span of nine years. 

During the 2016-17 term, Katyal argued seven cases in six distinct Supreme Court arguments, significantly more than any other advocate in the country—nearly 10% of the whole.

Bagging Awards and Other Experiences

Katyal has received numerous accolades pertaining to his wide and high range of legal and judicial involvement. Among them, he is the recipient of the 'Edmund Randolph Award' which is the highest civilian award presented by the US Department of Justice.

Neal Katyal on Red Carpet with House of Cards Actress Patricia Clarkson
Neal Katyal on Red Carpet with 'House of Cards' Actress Patricia Clarkson. (Photo: Instagram)

In addition to that, he also recently appeared on the infamous series House of Cards. He was one of the lawyers pleading before the Supreme court. 

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