Seth Waxman, one of the country's premier Supreme Court and appellate advocates, will speak about his role as the 41st Solicitor General of the United States (1997 through January 2001).   Sometimes called the Tenth Justice, the SG is the only officer of government—including Supreme Court Justices and the Attorney General—who is required by statute to be “learned in the law.”  The SG represents the interests of the United States before the Supreme Court and has a unique place in our legal system.

A graduate of Yale Law School, Seth moved to Washington in 1977 to clerk for the Honorable Gerhard A. Gesell before joining the storied DC litigation boutique, Miller, Cassidy, Larroca, & Lewin.  He joined the Department of Justice in 1994 where he served in several positions, including Associate Deputy Attorney General, Acting Deputy Attorney General, Principal Deputy Solicitor General, and of course Solicitor General.  Seth now is a partner at WilmerHale and leads the firm’s appellate practice.

Over the years he has made 89 oral arguments before the Supreme Court and won landmark rulings securing the right of foreign nationals held at Guantanamo Bay to challenge their detention in US civilian courts, declaring the death penalty for juvenile offenders to be unconstitutional, and upholding the constitutionality of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act. 

Seth is among a small handful of practicing attorneys elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. In addition to several honorary degrees, he holds the status of permanent honorary Special Agent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.