<p>Neal Katyal, the son of Indian immigrants, who once served as a top advocate of America's top courtroom, has emerged as the face of the landmark Supreme Court judgement that struck down US President Donald Trump's sweeping global tariffs. The SCOTUS's Friday (Feb 20) decision represented a major blow to Trump in his second term. It stripped away a powerful tool he had aggressively utilised to reshape American trade pacts, collect substantial sums from US companies importing foreign goods, and intervene in the domestic matters of countries whose leaders did not comply with his directives. Who is Neal Katyal? All you need to know.</p><p><strong>Also read | </strong><a href="https://www.wionews.com/opinions/donald-trump-suffers-first-major-blow-to-his-economic-and-diplomatic-policy-opinion-1771637528141"><strong>Donald Trump suffers first major blow to his economic and diplomatic policy</strong></a></p><h2><strong>Son of immigrants able to say ‘president is acting illegally’</strong></h2><p>Katyal, a former Acting Solicitor General of the United States, argued against Trump's use of the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act to impose what he described as "unjust, unconstitutional taxes".</p><p>"The US Supreme Court gave us everything we asked for in our legal case. Everything," said Katyal after the ruling. "This case has always been about the presidency, not any one president. It has always been about the separation of powers, and not the politics of the moment," he added.</p><p>“I was able to go to court -- the son of immigrants -- and say on behalf of American small businesses, 'Hey, this president is acting illegally.' I was able to present my case, have them ask really hard questions, and at the end of it, they voted and we won. That is something extraordinary about this country,” Neal Katyal told MS Now.</p>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Neal Katyal: &quot;I was able to go to court -- the son of immigrants -- and say on behalf of American small businesses, &#39;Hey, this president is acting illegally.&#39; I was able to present my case, have them ask really hard questions, and at the end of it they voted and we won. That is… <a href="https://t.co/FhCtgOgyMx">pic.twitter.com/FhCtgOgyMx</a></p>&mdash; Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) <a href="https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/2024955825916162140?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 20, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<p> </p><p>The administration had framed the tariffs as necessary to address trade deficits and the fentanyl crisis, calling them matters of national emergency. Katyal countered that the move amounted to unlawful taxation without congressional approval. "Presidents are powerful, but our Constitution is more powerful still," Katyal said after the ruling. "In America, only Congress can impose taxes on the American people."</p><p><strong>Also read | </strong><a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/royal-shock-uk-weighs-removing-andrew-mountbatten-windsor-from-line-of-succession-for-british-throne-over-epstein-links-1771637027122"><strong>UK weighs removing Andrew from British throne line of succession over Epstein links</strong></a></p><h2><strong>Who is Neal Katyal?</strong></h2><p>Born in Chicago to Indian immigrant parents, a doctor and an engineer, Katyal has spent much of his career at the centre of major constitutional disputes. He graduated from Dartmouth College and Yale Law School and clerked for Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer.</p><p>In 2010, President Barack Obama appointed him Acting Solicitor General, making him the federal government’s top courtroom advocate. Over the years, Katyal has argued more than 50 cases before the Supreme Court, earning recognition as one of the most prominent appellate lawyers in the country.</p><p>He is currently a partner at Milbank LLP and a professor at Georgetown University Law Center. His past work includes defending the Voting Rights Act, challenging Trump’s 2017 travel ban, and serving as a special prosecutor in Minnesota in the George Floyd case.</p>

Who is Neal Katyal? The Indian origin former US Acting Solicitor General led the Supreme Court challenge that struck down President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs. Here's all you need to know about him.

Neal Katyal, the son of Indian immigrants, who once served as a top advocate of America's top courtroom, has emerged as the face of the landmark Supreme Court judgement that struck down US President Donald Trump's sweeping global tariffs. The SCOTUS's Friday (Feb 20) decision represented a major blow to Trump in his second term. It stripped away a powerful tool he had aggressively utilised to reshape American trade pacts, collect substantial sums from US companies importing foreign goods, and intervene in the domestic matters of countries whose leaders did not comply with his directives. Who is Neal Katyal? All you need to know. Also read | Donald Trump suffers first major blow to his economic and diplomatic policy Son of immigrants able to say ‘president is acting illegally’ Katyal, a former Acting Solicitor General of the United States, argued against Trump's use of the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act to impose what he described as "unjust, unconstitutional taxes". "The US Supreme Court gave us everything we asked for in our legal case. Everything," said Katyal after the ruling. "This case has always been about the presidency, not any one president. It has always been about the separation of powers, and not the politics of the moment," he added. “I was able to go to court -- the son of immigrants -- and say on behalf of American small businesses, 'Hey, this president is acting illegally.' I was able to present my case, have them ask really hard questions, and at the end of it, they voted and we won. That is something extraordinary about this country,” Neal Katyal told MS Now.

<p>Who is Neal Katyal? The Indian origin former US Acting Solicitor General led the Supreme Court challenge that struck down President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs. Here's all you need to know about him.</p>

Who is Neal Katyal? All about the Indian-origin lawyer who led legal challenge against Trump tariffs at SCOTUS

<p>An Indian-American attorney is being hailed as a “national hero” and “true patriot” in the US after he successfully argued a case before the US Supreme Court against a legal theory being promoted by conservatives, especially those who support former US President Donald Trump. The US-born attorney, named Neal Katyal, was representing the watchdog group ‘Common Cause’ and won the judgement 6-3, with support from three liberal and three conservative judges.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Such was the significance of the case that one legal expert labelled it as the most important constitutional case in US history, while it helped the attorney earn rare praise from former Democratic president Barack Obama himself.</p>

<h2><strong>What was the legal case?</strong></h2>

<p>The case, Moore v. Harper, was about overhauling the US election system altogether while giving state legislature primacy over courts to set election rules.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Had conservatives won the case, state legislatures would have become immune to interventions by courts on state election rules. However, the theory was rebuffed by six Supreme Court judges, maintaining that the power of state legislature was restrained by federal and state courts.</p>

<p><strong>Watch:&nbsp;Donald Trump says, 'US rigged, corrupt &amp; in decline'</strong></p>

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<p>America’s top legal and constitutional experts heaved a sigh of relief as the judgement came, with Obama himself tweeting on the issue. “Today, the Supreme Court rejected the fringe independent state legislature theory that threatened to upend our democracy and dismantle our system of checks and balances. This ruling rejects the far-right theory that threatened to undermine our democracy, and makes clear that courts can continue defending voters' rights—in North Carolina and in every state," Obama wrote in his tweet.</p>

<h2><strong>‘Single most important constitutional case for American democracy’</strong></h2>

<p>The case was hailed as the “Single most important constitutional case for American democracy” by Judge Luttig, a distinguished jurist who was also associated with the fight. He also lauded Katyal for being “masterful” while arguing the case before the court. He said Katyal made "the single best oral argument I have ever heard made before the Supreme Court of the United States.”</p>

<h2><strong>Who is Neal Katyal?</strong></h2>

<p>Neal Katyal is the son of Indian immigrants, and his mother is a paediatrician while his father is an engineer. He attended Dartmouth College and pursued his law degree at Yale, where he had the opportunity to learn from Akhil Amar, a renowned Indian-origin constitutional scholar in the United States.&nbsp;</p>

<p><a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-lies-about-election-abortion-rape-case-at-cnn-town-hall-a-fact-check-591172"><strong>Also read:&nbsp;Trump lies about election, abortion, sexual abuse case at CNN town hall: A fact-check</strong></a></p>

<p>Presently, Katyal holds a position as a partner at the prestigious law firm Hogan Lovells. Additionally, he serves as a professor of National Security Law at Georgetown University Law Center, where he holds the distinction of being one of the youngest professors to have achieved tenure and a chaired professorship in the university's history.</p>

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An Indian-American attorney is being hailed as a “national hero” and “true patriot” in the US after he successfully argued a case before the US Supreme Court against a legal theory being promoted by conservatives, especially those who support former US President Donald Trump.

An Indian-American attorney is being hailed as a “national hero” and “true patriot” in the US after he successfully argued a case before the US Supreme Court against a legal theory being promoted by conservatives, especially those who support former US President Donald Trump. The US-born attorney, named Neal Katyal, was representing the watchdog group ‘Common Cause’ and won the judgement 6-3, with support from three liberal and three conservative judges. Such was the significance of the case that one legal expert labelled it as the most important constitutional case in US history, while it helped the attorney earn rare praise from former Democratic president Barack Obama himself. What was the legal case? The case, Moore v. Harper, was about overhauling the US election system altogether while giving state legislature primacy over courts to set election rules. Had conservatives won the case, state legislatures would have become immune to interventions by courts on state election rules. However, the theory was rebuffed by six Supreme Court judges, maintaining that the power of state legislature was restrained by federal and state courts. Watch: Donald Trump says, 'US rigged, corrupt & in decline' × America’s top legal and constitutional experts heaved a sigh of relief as the judgement came, with Obama himself tweeting on the issue. “Today, the Supreme Court rejected the fringe independent state legislature theory that threatened to upend our democracy and dismantle our system of checks and balances. This ruling rejects the far-right theory that threatened to undermine our democracy, and makes clear that courts can continue defending voters' rights—in North Carolina and in every state," Obama wrote in his tweet. ‘Single most important constitutional case for American democracy’ The case was hailed as the “Single most important constitutional case for American democracy” by Judge Luttig, a distinguished jurist who was also associated with the fight. He also lauded Katyal for being “masterful” while arguing the case before the court. He said Katyal made "the single best oral argument I have ever heard made before the Supreme Court of the United States.” Who is Neal Katyal? Neal Katyal is the son of Indian immigrants, and his mother is a paediatrician while his father is an engineer. He attended Dartmouth College and pursued his law degree at Yale, where he had the opportunity to learn from Akhil Amar, a renowned Indian-origin constitutional scholar in the United States. Also read: Trump lies about election, abortion, sexual abuse case at CNN town hall: A fact-check Presently, Katyal holds a position as a partner at the prestigious law firm Hogan Lovells. Additionally, he serves as a professor of National Security Law at Georgetown University Law Center, where he holds the distinction of being one of the youngest professors to have achieved tenure and a chaired professorship in the university's history. WATCH WION LIVE HERE ×

Why Americans, including Obama, are in awe of Indian-American attorney Neal Katyal

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Who is Neal Katyal? All about the Indian-origin lawyer who led legal challenge against Trump tariffs at SCOTUS

Why Americans, including Obama, are in awe of Indian-American attorney Neal Katyal