Theodore Olson to Argue 50th High Court Case, with Archangel’s Help
Former Solicitor General Theodore Olson will achieve a milestone that few others have reached when he argues his 50th case before the U.S. Supreme Court on Oct. 6.
He’ll be carrying a laminated card depicting St. Michael the Archangel, known as the warrior saint who battles Satan, Legal Times reports. “My late wife Barbara decided I needed a little extra help for the argument in Bush v. Gore,” Olson told the publication. “I felt it in my suit pocket on my way to court. I’m not a Catholic, but Barbara was, and she snuck it into my pocket. No harm in a little extra help.”
Olson won the case for the Bush administration along with 35 others before the high court. He lost 10, won a half-victory in another, saw another case dismissed and had another reargued, according to Legal Times’ tally.
Olson’s wife died on Sept. 11 when a plane crashed into the Pentagon. He has since remarried.
The story by Tony Mauro has several little-known facts about Olson, now a partner with Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. They include:
• He went on a bike trip to Italy this summer along with newsman Tom Brokaw, American Lawyer founder Steve Brill, Bloomberg executive Norman Pearlstine, and their spouses.
• Olson argues cases in three moot court sessions before each argument.
• John G. Roberts Jr., now the chief justice, helped Olson in a moot court trial session for Bush v. Gore.
