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New Delhi,UPDATED: Feb 21, 2026 12:26 IST
The US Supreme Court may have given Donald Trump one of the biggest setbacks of his second term by striking down his favourite tariffs. But at the heart of the blow was the deft arguments made by an Indian-origin lawyer who has emerged as a pivotal figure in the landmark Supreme Court judgment that has left Trump furious. Meet Neal Katyal, a former Acting Solicitor General of the US and author, who represented a group of small businesses before the court and came out with a "complete and total victory" in his own words.
After the 6-3 Supreme Court ruling, Katyal, 55, said the order underscored an important message -- presidents are powerful, but the US Constitution is more powerful still. "Today, the US Supreme Court stood up for the rule of law and Americans everywhere. In America, only Congress can impose taxes on the American people," Katyal tweeted.
WHO IS NEAL KATYAL?
But who is Neal Katyal, whose legal challenge handed the mother of setbacks for Trump?
Katyal was born on March 12, 1970, in Chicago to Indian immigrants -- a doctor and an engineer. He completed his graduation from Dartmouth College and then pursued further studies at the high-profile Yale Law School. His command of US laws caught the attention of Justice Stephen Breyer of the US Supreme Court. Katyal worked as a clerk under him for a few years.
His major break came when he was appointed as the Acting Solicitor General by President Barack Obama in 2010. During his tenure, he argued more than 50 cases before the Supreme Court.
It was a record for the most number of cases argued by a minority attorney, surpassing Thurgood Marshall, who served in 1965 under President Lyndon B Johnson.
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Published By:
Abhishek De
Published On:
Feb 21, 2026
