Jonathan Mitchell, an Austin, Texas lawyer representing Trump, is making his sixth court appearance, the first two of which will be this month. Mitchell will fight the ban on bump stocks, which allow semi-automatic rifles to shoot like machine guns, on Feb. 28.
Mitchell most recently defended SB 8, the Texas abortion bill that halted legal abortions months before the high court reversed Roe v. Wade in June 2022. Before becoming Texas solicitor general, he clerked for Justice Antonin Scalia.
Jason Murray represents Republican primary voters who want Trump off the ballot. Murray is acquainted to the judges despite his first Supreme Court argument. After working for Justice Neil Gorsuch as a federal appeals court judge in Denver, he clerked for Elena Kagan for a year.
Colorado Solicitor General Shannon Stevenson will defend Secretary of State Jena Griswold in the Supreme Court. Stevenson started working less than a year ago. She practiced privately in Denver for 20 years.
The Biden administration's Supreme Court counsel, Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar, is highly regarded. Prelogar is sitting out the landmark lawsuit over whether a former president may be kept off the ballot under a Constitutional clause the Supreme Court has never considered.
The solicitor general, often known as the 10th justice, advises the court on issues when the federal government has a major interest but is not personally involved.
This case remains political. The court has not invited Prelogar to weigh in, possibly because its ruling might affect her boss, the president. Biden has indicated he believes Trump participated in rebellion, but he avoided legal problems when questioned about the Colorado Supreme Court's ruling in December.
Biden told reporters "some things are self-evident. You saw EVERYTHING. Let the court decide if the 14th amendment applies. However, he advocated revolt. Without doubt. None. Zero.” On whether Trump should be on the ballot last week, Biden said, “As far as I'm concerned, that's fine.
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