With Trump Court Fights Ahead, Harvard Appoints Conservative Heavyweight Kannon Shanmugam

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India-West News Desk

CAMBRIDGE, MA – Kannon K. Shanmugam, a leading appellate attorney and Harvard alumnus, has been elected to the Harvard Corporation, the university’s senior governing board. He will assume the role on July 1, succeeding Theodore V. Wells Jr., who is stepping down after 12 years of service.

Harvard President Alan Garber and Senior Fellow Penny Pritzker announced the appointment, praising Shanmugam for his commitment to academic values and freedom. They also commended his intellect, integrity, and dedication to excellence.

The Harvard Corporation, officially known as the President and Fellows of Harvard College, was established in 1650. As one of the university’s two governing boards, the 13-member Corporation is responsible for overseeing Harvard’s academic, financial, and physical resources.

Shanmugam’s appointment comes at a challenging time for the university, which is currently involved in two lawsuits against the Trump administration—cases that legal experts say may reach the U.S. Supreme Court.

Acknowledging the difficulties Harvard faces, Shanmugam emphasized the institution’s enduring impact.

“Harvard is one of our nation’s most important institutions, and when an institution has problems, I believe the solution is to work constructively to fix the problems, while holding true to its foundational commitment to academic excellence,” he said.

Shanmugam is a partner at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, where he leads the firm’s Supreme Court and Appellate Litigation Practice. Over his career, he has argued 39 cases before the U.S. Supreme Court and more than 150 appeals nationwide. From 2004 to 2008, he served as an assistant to the solicitor general at the U.S. Department of Justice.

Born in Lawrence, Kansas, Shanmugam graduated summa cum laude from Harvard College in 1993 with a concentration in classics. He later earned a Master of Letters in classical languages and literature from Oxford University as a Marshall Scholar. Returning to Harvard, he earned his J.D. magna cum laude in 1998 and served as executive editor of the Harvard Law Review.

Following law school, Shanmugam clerked for Judge J. Michael Luttig of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit and later for Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. He has served as co-chair of the American Bar Association’s Appellate Practice Committee and is an honorary bencher of the Inner Temple in London.

In a statement, Shanmugam expressed gratitude for the opportunity to serve.

“My reason for agreeing to serve is simple: I owe everything to Harvard,” he said, adding that he looks forward to contributing constructively to the university’s future.