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At the centre of the landmark U.S. Supreme Court verdict striking down President Donald Trump’s sweeping planetary tariffs is an Indian-origin lawyer who argued earlier America’s highest tribunal astir the illegality of the levies.
Neal Katyal, the lad of Indian immigrants and the erstwhile Acting Solicitor General of the United States nether President Barack Obama, argued the consequential tariff lawsuit connected behalf of tiny businesses and won.
U.S. Supreme Court rejects tariffs LIVE
“Victory,” Mr. Katyal posted connected X shortly aft the Supreme Court verdict came successful connected Friday (February 20, 2026).
Mr. Katyal, successful an interrogation to MS Now, said “One of the large things astir the American strategy is what conscionable happened today. I was capable to spell to tribunal — the lad of immigrants — capable to spell to tribunal and accidental connected behalf of American tiny businesses, 'Hey, this President is acting illegally.'"
"I was capable to contiguous my case, person them inquire truly hard questions astatine me, it was a truly aggravated oral statement and astatine the extremity of it, they voted and we won,” helium said.
“That is thing truthful bonzer astir this country. The thought that we person a strategy that self-corrects, that allows america to accidental ‘You mightiness beryllium the astir almighty antheral successful the satellite but you inactive can’t interruption the Constitution. That to maine is what contiguous is about,” Mr. Katyal added.
Mr. Katyal was calved successful 1970 successful Chicago to a paediatrician parent and technologist father, some of whom immigrated from India.
He is simply a spouse successful the Washington DC bureau of Milbank LLP and a subordinate of the firm’s Litigation & Arbitration Group.
In a connection pursuing the verdict, helium said the U.S. Supreme Court stood up for the regularisation of instrumentality and Americans everywhere. “Its connection was simple: Presidents are powerful, but our Constitution is much almighty still. In America, lone Congress tin enforce taxes connected the American people. The U.S. Supreme Court gave america everything we asked for successful our ineligible case. Everything.”
Mr. Katyal expressed gratitude for the enactment of the Liberty Justice Centre, who “led the combat erstwhile others wouldn’t”.
"This lawsuit has ever been astir the presidency, not immoderate 1 president. It has ever been astir separation of powers, and not the authorities of the moment. I'm gratified to spot our Supreme Court, which has been the bedrock of our authorities for 250 years, support our astir cardinal values,” helium said.
According to his illustration connected the Milbank website, Mr. Katyal focuses connected appellate and analyzable litigation and has argued 54 cases earlier the Supreme Court of the United States.
He has besides served arsenic a instrumentality prof for implicit 2 decades astatine Georgetown University Law Centre, “where helium was 1 of the youngest professors to person received tenure and a chaired professorship successful the university's history” and has served arsenic a visiting prof astatine Harvard and Yale instrumentality schools.
A postgraduate of Yale Law School, Mr. Katyal clerked for Guido Calabresi of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit arsenic good arsenic for Justice Stephen G. Breyer of the U.S. Supreme Court. He besides served successful the Deputy Attorney General's Office astatine the Justice Department arsenic National Security Advisor and arsenic Special Assistant to the Deputy Attorney General during 1998-1999.
Mr. Katyal is the recipient of the “highest grant fixed to a civilian” by the U.S. Department of Justice, the Edmund Randolph Award, which was presented to him by the Attorney General successful 2011, his illustration said.
The Chief Justice of the United States appointed him successful 2011 and 2014 to the Advisory Committee connected Federal Appellate Rules.
In a station connected X dated November 4, 2025, Mr. Katyal posted a photograph of a accepted ‘Kada’ (bangle) placed connected a ‘Brief for Private Respondents’ related to the Supreme Court tariff lawsuit against Trump. “Thinking of my begetter archetypal and foremost, who came to this onshore of freedom….May the Constitution win,” helium wrote.
