Loyola University Maryland will welcome Neal Katyal, J.D., former acting solicitor general of the United States, for a keynote talk hosted by the Center for the Humanities on Wednesday, Dec. 3, at 6 p.m. in McGuire Hall. The event, titled “The Supreme Court in a Time of Crisis,” is free and open to the public. Advance registration is encouraged.

Katyal is the Paul and Patricia Saunders Professor of Law at the Georgetown University Law Center, where he focuses on constitutional law, criminal law, and intellectual property. He is also a partner at Milbank LLP. A New York Times bestselling author, he served as acting solicitor general of the United States during the Obama administration from 2010-11.

“Neal Katyal has argued over 50 cases before the U.S. Supreme Court and has been before it again in early November as the advocate for a group of small businesses challenging President Trump's tariffs as unlawful,” shared Martha C. Taylor, Ph.D., chair and professor of classics. “We are excited to host a litigator of Mr. Katyal's stature and experience on campus to address such timely and important issues."

Katyal’s expertise lies in matters of constitutional, technology, corporate, patent, securities, criminal, employment, and tribal law. During the 2022-23 term, he argued five separate cases before the Supreme Court, nearly 10% of the docket. He received the Edmund Randolph Award from the U.S. Justice Department in 2011—the highest honor the department can bestow on a civilian—and has twice been named Litigator of the Year by American Lawyer magazine.

About the Center for the Humanities

The Center for the Humanities was established in 1983 through the generosity of many donors and the National Endowment for the Humanities. It exists to provide strength and vision to the humanities at Loyola University Maryland. To realize its goals, the Center sponsors a wide range of programs, some of which are ongoing, others representing one-time grants. Programs include lectures, lectures series, and fine arts performances; other forms of research support for both faculty and students; and various forms of support for teaching in the humanities.