Leading appeals lawyer leaves Jones Day for US Justice Dept post
By Mike Scarcella
April 9 (Reuters) - Prominent appellate lawyer Hashim Mooppan has left law firm Jones Day in Washington for a post at the U.S. Justice Department, where he also held senior roles during Republican U.S. President Donald Trump's first administration.
Mooppan in Trump's first term served as counselor to the U.S. solicitor general, the head of the office that represents the United States before the U.S. Supreme Court and decides whether to file appeals in other federal courts.
A person familiar with Mooppan's move confirmed he joined the Justice Department. Mooppan did not respond to requests for comment.
The U.S. Senate last week confirmed Trump loyalist John Sauer as U.S. solicitor general. Sauer successfully urged the high court last year to give Trump broad immunity for actions that were within his constitutional powers as president.
Sarah Harris had been serving as acting U.S. solicitor general prior to Sauer's confirmation. Harris did not immediately respond to a request for comment about her and Mooppan's current roles. A DOJ spokesperson had no immediate comment on Mooppan's move.
Harris was a law clerk to Justice Clarence Thomas, and Mooppan and Sauer both clerked for the late Justice Antonin Scalia.
Jones Day, a 2,400-lawyer firm known for its corporate defense work, represented Trump in his 2016 and 2020 presidential campaigns. Several lawyers at the firm served in senior White House and Justice Department roles in his first administration.
Former Jones Day lawyers tapped to serve in Trump's second term include Brett Shumate, whose nomination to lead the Justice Department's civil division is pending a Senate vote. Another ex-Jones Day lawyer, Yaakov Roth, is serving as the acting head of the civil division for now.
Mooppan during the first Trump administration helped to defend the White House’s ban on travelers from seven majority-Muslim nations. He also argued unsuccessfully against extending civil rights protections to gay and lesbian workers.
He returned to Jones Day in 2021.
Read more:
Trump nominees disclose US law firm pay
Trump Justice Department taps another Jones Day lawyer for senior role
Trump picks first-term loyalists for top Justice Department posts
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