News Releases

Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón announced today that County Counsel has retained former acting U.S. Solicitor General Neal Katyal to represent the office in a lawsuit that challenges criminal justice reform policies implemented late last year.

“Neal is one of the top lawyers in the nation and his vast legal experience will only benefit my mission to help reform the criminal justice system in Los Angeles County,” District Attorney Gascón said. “I am confident that with Neal’s assistance we will prevail and continue on a path to achieve these goals.”

Katyal served as the acting Solicitor General under President Barack Obama and has orally argued more than 40 cases before the U.S. Supreme Court. He is a partner at Hogan Lovells in Washington, D.C., and is a law professor at the Georgetown University Law Center.

"Mr. Katyal has argued more Supreme Court cases than any other person of color in American history," said Cristine DeBerry, founder and Executive Director of the Prosecutors Alliance of California. "It's incredibly appropriate that he will be litigating a case with extraordinary consequences for communities of color that have disproportionately felt the weight of racist sentencing policies, like enhancements, and that simply have not made us safer."

The lawsuit, The Association of Deputy District Attorneys for Los Angeles County v. the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office and District Attorney Gascón, challenges new office policies. Case B310845 is currently before the 2^nd District Court of Appeal.