Ohio Solicitor General Confirmed to Lead Key DOJ Advisory Office

T. Elliot Gaiser was confirmed to lead the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel, a unit that provides advice to the president on executive orders and other legal matters.

The Republican-led Senate on Wednesday voted 53-45 along party lines to confirm the Ohio solicitor general to the post.

Gaiser has since 2023 represented Ohio in legal disputes, including those pertaining to gun restrictions and transgender care for minors.

The University of Chicago law graduate and former Jones Day and Gibson Dunn associate clerked for Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito during the consequential 2021-2022 term, when Alito authored the conservative majority decision overturning the constitutional right to abortion.

Gaiser also clerked for Judge Neomi Rao of the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

The Office of Legal Counsel has historically played an influential role inside the Justice Department. Leaders in the office advise on executive orders issued by the White House and review orders and regulations that demand the attorney general’s approval, according to the DOJ’s website.

President Donald Trump has already signed 176 executive orders this year, compared to 162 issued during the entire Biden administration, according to data maintained by the American Presidency Project.

Other senior officials in the counsel’s office include Lanora Pettit, a former principal deputy solicitor general in Texas who joined the DOJ in January.