Nov. 13 (UPI) — Former U.S. solicitor general and conservative lawyer Theodore Olson, who was admired by Democrats as well as Republicans, died Wednesday at the age of 84.
Olson, who sat at the center of the 2000 U.S. presidential election recount on behalf of then-Texas Gov. George W. Bush, was described as a “towering figure on the national stage” and a “once-in-a-generation lawyer.” He was a “trailblazing advocate who cared about all people,” his law firm Gibson Dunn announced in a news release Wednesday.
Olson was the nation’s solicitor general from 2001 to 2004. He was the fourth highest-ranking official within the U.S. Justice Department after his appointment by Bush. He was confirmed in May 2001 in a 51-47 Senate vote and was characterized as one of America’s premier appellate and U.S. Supreme Court advocates.
“Ted was a titan of the legal profession and one of the most extraordinary and eloquent advocates of our time,” Barbara Becker, Gibson Dunn’s chair and managing partner, said.
Olson also served as assistant U.S. attorney general in charge of the Office of Legal Counsel in the Justice Department from 1981-1984 under former President Ronald Reagan.
Olson obtained his law degree from the University of California, Berkeley in 1965 and was a Gibson Dunn lawyer in either Los Angeles, Calif. or Washington, D.C., with the exception of two intervals.
Notably, Olson argued 65 cases in the U.S. Supreme Court including the two Bush v. Gore cases that stemmed from the controversial 2000 presidential election which ultimately saw Bush the victor after a series of legal battles between Democrat Gore that spiraled all the way to the nation’s highest court.
In 2010, Olson was selected by TIME Magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world.
Despite his conservative credentials having worked in the administrations of Republican presidents, Olson is fondly remembered by Democrats and those on the left for joining trial lawyer David Boies — his opponent in Bush v. Gore case — to help overturn Proposition 8 in California, which banned same-sex marriage.
Olson did similar work with Boies in Virginia on behalf of same-sex couples in 2014.
He was later appointed by then-President Barack Obama to the 10-member Council of the Administrative Conference of the United States and the Commission on White House Fellowships.
Olson also successfully challenged the first Trump administration’s rescission of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, otherwise known as DACA.
“We mourn his loss profoundly and send our condolences to his wife Lady, a cherished member of our firm family, and to all of Ted’s loved ones,” said Becker.
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