Neal Katyal is one of the nation’s foremost Supreme Court attorneys and former Acting Solicitor General of the United States. Neal just won the tariffs case in the Supreme Court against President Trump.
He is a partner at Milbank’s Washington, DC office. He serves as the Paul Saunders Professor of Law at Georgetown University, where he was one of the youngest professors to have received tenure and a chaired professorship in the university’s history.
He has argued 54 cases at the Supreme Court, including landmark cases on gene patents, Guantanamo, the Voting Rights Act, and corporate law. He received the highest honor the Justice Department can bestow on a civilian, the Edmund Randolph Award, and has won several other awards, including being named one of GQ’s Men of the Year. He has performed in Netflix’s House of Cards and Showtime’s Billions (both times playing himself).
Neal was a prolific member of the Dartmouth Forensic Union during his undergraduate yers at Dartmouth College, reaching the semi-finals of the National Debate Tournament both in 1990 and 1991. Debate played a formative role in shaping his analytical approach to the law, teaching him to break down complex issues, think strategically, and communicate with clarity. He has described his Dartmouth debate coach, Ken Strange, as “the most important teacher of my life,” underscoring how deeply debate influenced his development as an advocate.
We are so excited to honor Neal at the 2026 Champions of Debate gala on Thursday, June 4. Please join us!