eal Katyal who once became America’s top courtroom lawyer is now at the centre of a major Supreme Court ruling that struck down President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs.
Katyal, a former Acting Solicitor General of the United States, argued that Trump wrongly used the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to impose what he called “unjust, unconstitutional taxes” on goods coming from almost every trading partner.
Soon after the judgment, Katyal said, “Today, the United States Supreme Court stood up for the rule of law, and Americans everywhere. Its message was simple: Presidents are powerful, but our Constitution is more powerful still. In America, only Congress can impose taxes on the American people.”
The case was filed by small businesses and supported by the Liberty Justice Center. Trump had defended the tariffs, saying they were necessary for national security and economic strength. He pointed to trade deficits and fentanyl overdoses as national emergencies.
Who is Neal Katyal?
Born in Chicago to Indian immigrant parents, Neal Katyal is the Paul Saunders Professor at Georgetown University and a former Acting Solicitor General of the United States. He specialises in Constitutional Law, Criminal Law, and Intellectual Property. He is also a New York Times bestselling author. Over the past three years, he has served as Special Prosecutor for the State of Minnesota in the murder case of George Floyd.
At 54, he has argued more Supreme Court cases than any other minority attorney in US history, breaking the record previously held by Thurgood Marshall. In total, he has argued 51 cases before the Supreme Court of the United States, according to Georgetown University .
From 2010 to 2011, Katyal served as Acting Solicitor General, where he handled several important cases before the Supreme Court. These included successfully defending the constitutionality of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, defending former Attorney General John Ashcroft over alleged abuses during the war on terror and winning a unanimous decision against eight states that had sued major power plants over global warming.
Katyal’s father was a doctor and his mother an engineer – Katyal built his career around high-profile constitutional cases. He studied at Dartmouth College and Yale Law School and later worked as a law clerk for Justice Stephen Breyer of the US Supreme Court.
Awards and recognition received by Neal Katyal
He was appointed Acting Solicitor General in 2010 by Barack Obama. In that role, he represented the federal government before the Supreme Court and appellate courts across the country.
Katyal has received the US Justice Department’s highest civilian honour, the Edmund Randolph Award. He was named Litigator of the Year by The American Lawyer in both 2017 and 2023. Forbes also listed him among the top 200 lawyers in the United States in 2024 and 2025.
Who is Neal Katyal? Meet Indian-origin lawyer who just argued against Trump tariffs in US
Supreme Court
eal Katyal who once became America’s top courtroom lawyer is now at the centre of a major Supreme Court ruling that struck down President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs.
Katyal, a former Acting Solicitor General of the United States, argued that Trump wrongly used the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to impose what he called “unjust, unconstitutional taxes” on goods coming from almost every trading partner.
Soon after the judgment, Katyal said, “Today, the United States Supreme Court stood up for the rule of law, and Americans everywhere. Its message was simple: Presidents are powerful, but our Constitution is more powerful still. In America, only Congress can impose taxes on the American people.”
The case was filed by small businesses and supported by the Liberty Justice Center. Trump had defended the tariffs, saying they were necessary for national security and economic strength. He pointed to trade deficits and fentanyl overdoses as national emergencies.
Who is Neal Katyal?
Born in Chicago to Indian immigrant parents, Neal Katyal is the Paul Saunders Professor at Georgetown University and a former Acting Solicitor General of the United States. He specialises in Constitutional Law, Criminal Law, and Intellectual Property. He is also a New York Times bestselling author. Over the past three years, he has served as Special Prosecutor for the State of Minnesota in the murder case of George Floyd.
At 54, he has argued more Supreme Court cases than any other minority attorney in US history, breaking the record previously held by Thurgood Marshall. In total, he has argued 51 cases before the Supreme Court of the United States, according to Georgetown University .
From 2010 to 2011, Katyal served as Acting Solicitor General, where he handled several important cases before the Supreme Court. These included successfully defending the constitutionality of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, defending former Attorney General John Ashcroft over alleged abuses during the war on terror and winning a unanimous decision against eight states that had sued major power plants over global warming.
Katyal’s father was a doctor and his mother an engineer – Katyal built his career around high-profile constitutional cases. He studied at Dartmouth College and Yale Law School and later worked as a law clerk for Justice Stephen Breyer of the US Supreme Court.
Awards and recognition received by Neal Katyal
He was appointed Acting Solicitor General in 2010 by Barack Obama. In that role, he represented the federal government before the Supreme Court and appellate courts across the country.
Katyal has received the US Justice Department’s highest civilian honour, the Edmund Randolph Award. He was named Litigator of the Year by The American Lawyer in both 2017 and 2023. Forbes also listed him among the top 200 lawyers in the United States in 2024 and 2025.