Ropes & Gray Partner Comments on Kagan Supreme Court Nomination

Douglas Hallward-Driemeier, who leads the firm's Appellate and Supreme Court practice, has been quoted extensively in the press regarding the nomination of Elena Kagan to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Hallward-Driemeier, who worked with Kagan as an Assistant to the Solicitor General before joining Ropes & Gray, has been quoted in The Wall Street Journal ("A Life Rooted in Pursuit of Education," May 10, and "Kagan and Key Case: The Jury is Out," May 12), as well as The National Law Journal and Law360.

"Elena quickly grasps the subtleties in any case,” he told Law360. “She also appreciates the real-world consequences of the court's decisions, which the president has identified as an important qualification for his nominee. Finally, it is clear that those in the White House and elsewhere in the Justice Department value Elena's judgment. She would make a terrific addition to the court."

Hallward-Driemeier joined Ropes & Gray in 2010 after spending more than a decade handling appeals and Supreme Court litigation for the U.S. Department of Justice. Between 2004 and 2009, as an Assistant to the Solicitor General, he briefed and argued cases on behalf of the United States before the Supreme Court. He has argued 13 cases before the Supreme Court and filed more than 150 briefs in that Court. Most recently, in November 2009, he argued Graham County v. U.S. ex rel. Wilson, concerning the scope of the public disclosure bar to suits under the False Claims Act.