Neal Katyal Joins Legal Team Suing Trump

Photo: prnewswire.com

India-West News Desk

WASHINGTON, DC – Prominent appellate lawyer Neal Katyal, a well-known critic of former President Donald Trump, has joined a lawsuit challenging Trump’s attempt to remove the head of a key agency that handles cases involving federal government workers who are fired or disciplined.

Katyal, who recently left his longtime law firm Hogan Lovells to lead the appellate practice at Milbank, filed legal papers on February 22 to join the team representing Cathy Harris, the chair of the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB), in Washington, D.C. federal court.

Harris, a Democrat, is suing Trump over his effort to oust her from the MSPB, where her seven-year term was not due to end until 2028. Reuters reported that a judge in Washington has temporarily blocked Trump’s attempt to fire Harris, reinstating her while the lawsuit is ongoing. The U.S. Justice Department has since appealed the ruling to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

Katyal and his team at Milbank, which had not been involved in the case until now, will represent Harris alongside her existing legal team from smaller firms, including Kator, Parks, Weiser & Wright, which specializes in employment law for federal workers. Katyal, who served as acting U.S. solicitor general during the Obama administration, has argued 52 cases before the U.S. Supreme Court.

Reuters noted that nearly a dozen major U.S. law firms, including Hogan Lovells, are currently involved in lawsuits against the Trump administration.