Indian-American lawyer Neal Katyal earned widespread acclaim for his arguments in of the most important constitutional cases in American history. The US Supreme Court ruled against the contentious Independent State Legislature theory.
The court’s 6-3 decision in the Moore v. Harper case, shut down the theory that gives legislatures unlimited authority to decide the rules for federal elections without interference from state courts.
Katyal, who is being dubbed as a ‘National Hero’ and ‘True Patriot played a significant role in achieving victory as he argued on behalf of voting rights groups Common Cause. He urged the bench to reject the election theory before the 2024 election.
“I am proud to stand with Common Cause, the leading nonpartisan group in our nation devoted to protecting the right to vote. As we argued to the Supreme Court, the independent state legislature theory was contrary to precedent and would have called into question hundreds of state constitutional provisions and decisions. Today’s ruling affirms the crucial role state courts play in overseeing federal elections,” he said.
A former Solicitor General, Katyal has reportedly argued 43 cases before the Supreme Court of the United States, with 41 of them in the last decade. He is also a law professor at the Georgetown University Law Center where he was one of the youngest professors to have received tenure and a chaired professorship in the university’s history. Additionally, he serves as Faculty Chair of the Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection.
