Ian Gershengorn
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| Acting Solicitor General of the United States | |
| In office June 25, 2016 – January 20, 2017 | |
| President | Barack Obama |
| Preceded by | Don Verrilli |
| Succeeded by | Noel Francisco (acting) |
| Principal Deputy Solicitor General of the United States | |
| In office September 2013 – June 25, 2016 | |
| President | Barack Obama |
| Preceded by | Sri Srinivasan |
| Succeeded by | Noel Francisco |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Ian Heath Gershengorn (1967-02-21) February 21, 1967 (age 57) New York City, U.S. |
| Spouse |
Gail Felice Levine (m. 1996) |
| Education | Harvard University (BA, JD) |
Ian Heath Gershengorn's opening statements to the Supreme CourtinHaaland v. Brackeen Recorded November 9, 2022 | |
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Ian Heath Gershengorn (born February 21, 1967) is an American lawyer and former acting Solicitor General of the United States under President Barack Obama.[1]
Born in New York, New York and raised outside of Boston,[2] Gershengorn attended the Roxbury Latin School. He earned a bachelor's degree, magna cum laude, from Harvard University in 1988 and a J.D. degree, magna cum laude, from Harvard Law School in 1993.[3]
From 1993 until 1994, Gershengorn clerked for United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit Judge Amalya Kearse. From 1994 until 1995, Gershengorn worked as a law clerk for United States Supreme Court Associate Justice John Paul Stevens.[3]
From 1995 until 1997, Gershengorn worked for the United States Department of Justice as a special assistant and counsel to then-United States Deputy Attorney General Jamie Gorelick.[3]
In 1997, Gershengorn joined the law firm of Jenner & Block, rising to the level of Partner in the firm's litigation department, working in the firm's Appellate and Supreme Court Practice and in its Communications Practice.[4] While at the firm, Gershengorn was very active in representing Indian tribes in Supreme Court and appellate litigation.[5] Gershengorn is listed in a Halland v. Brackeen amicus brief with Kathryn Fort, former Ambassador Keith M. Harper, Matthew S. Hellman, Zachary C. Schauf, Loenard R. Powell, Victoria Hall-Palerm, and Keven J. Kennedy.[6][7]
On April 13, 2009, it was announced that Gershengorn would be rejoining the United States Department of Justice as a deputy assistant attorney general in the Civil Division with oversight of the Federal Programs Branch.[5] The Federal Programs Branch is handling Guantánamo Bay detainee cases and state secret matters.[5]
In his deputy assistant attorney general position, Gershengorn was known for his work in defending legal challenges to President Obama's signature legislative achievement, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.[2]
On August 9, 2013, Gershengorn was named as the Principal Deputy Solicitor General in the United States Department of Justice's Office of the United States Solicitor General.[1]
On June 2, 2016, it was announced that Donald B. Verrilli Jr. was stepping down as Solicitor General and that Gershengorn would become Acting Solicitor General effective June 25, 2016,[8] which he remained until resigning at the end of Obama's term on January 20, 2017 because the Republican Senate majority did not deal with a replacement anymore.
On September 1, 1996, he married Gail Felice Levine in Dallas, Texas. Gershengorn's wife has worked as a lawyer for the United States Department of Justice, as have two of his sisters.[2] His father is a cardiologist and his mother, Wendie Gershengorn, was a state court judge in Massachusetts. He and Gail have three sons.[2][9]
| Legal offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Solicitor General of the United States Acting 2016–2017 |
Succeeded by
Noel Francisco |
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Acting officeholders shown in italics | ||
