He has 15 Supreme Court arguments under his belt, including Hamdan v. Rumsfeld, in which the high court sided with him in finding that military tribunals at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba violated the constitutional separation of powers. Katyal’s newest chapter begins today, when he joins Hogan Lovells as a partner in its appellate practice. Here’s an edited summary of our discussion with Katyal about his new assignment:

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1872887&forum_id=2.#19955741)

Katyal: I can’t tell you. I hate discussing money so much that I hired Bob Barnett at Williams & Connolly to negotiate the [salary] arrangement. [Barnett has negotiated book deals for the likes of Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Sarah Palin.]

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1872887&forum_id=2.#19955747)

KATYAL: The case that really captivated me the most over the last several months was an argument in the Federal Circuit court about whether you can patent the human genome. That was a remarkable case. (The Federal Circuit ruled that the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, which have been linked to hereditary cancers, can be patented.) I spent an enormous amout of time refreshing myself on genetics, which I studied in college. The global warming case was another one. Eight states and three cities sued five of the nation’s leading power plants, alleging they had contributed to global greenhouse-gas emissions. (The Supreme Court ruled in June that the plaintiffs couldn’t use federal public-nuisance law to seek court-imposed limits on emissions.) I really fundamentally disagreed with the litigation strategy of these state plaintiffs that wanted to use the courts to set massive social policy. I think there is a role for courts in a variety of areas, but the notion that we can allow a federal judge to run our greenhouse gas policy strikes me as preposterous.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1872887&forum_id=2.#19955757)

KATYAL: Between 2007 and 2009 (while teaching at Georgetown law) I handled a lot of major cases for very high-dollar sums. I’ve done that a bit, but I’ve never done it whole hog and with the support of a whole firm. I’m looking forward to that

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1872887&forum_id=2.#19955762)

KATYAL: I always thought it was something I would want to do. After I argued Hamdan, a number of private practice clients came to me and asked me to represent them. I was taken aback at the number of law firms and in-house opportunities that came to me.

How many firms came calling when you decided you wanted to leave government?

KATYAL: Thirty, maybe more.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1872887&forum_id=2.#19955773)

KATYAL: Historically, they have been dominant in the appellate sphere. This is the firm of [Supreme Court Chief Justice] John Roberts and Barrett Prettyman. They know how to do appellate law. Cate Stetson heads the practice. She is an incredible advocate and a friend. I go to rock concerts with her on occasion.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1872887&forum_id=2.#19955782)

KATYAL: I won’t say who I talked to about the firm. I did work for the chief at Hogan as a summer clerk back in 1995. There is one reservation I had about Hogan.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1872887&forum_id=2.#19955789)

KATYAL: I have three boys, ages 10, 8, and 6. I would say that since 2003, it has been a fairly intense set of times in my house. My wife and I began this with me being the primary parent, but she has had to pick up the slack more recently. My wife is a doctor at a veteran’s hospital. I have tried to be there for soccer games, baseball games and the like. But there is no doubt it is a challenging balancing act. I’m blessed with the fact that I don’t need a tremendous amount of sleep.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1872887&forum_id=2.#19955792)

(p.s., dellinger's a senile piece of southern shit.)

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1872887&forum_id=2.#19955814)

Also, what about Clement? He seems like a cool dude.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1872887&forum_id=2.#19955817)

KATYAL: The folks at Georgetown understand that I’ll devote most of my time to building my practice at Hogan. The teaching piece is something I really enjoy. Hogan was wonderful about understanding that.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1872887&forum_id=2.#19955847)

KATYAL: Alternative rock. Death Cab for Cutie was my last concert.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1872887&forum_id=2.#19955854)

You didn't express your opinion about the Critical Legal Studies Movement?

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1872887&forum_id=2.#19955882)

this is what happens when i am away for three months

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1872887&forum_id=2.#20161508)