Is Gregoire on the short list for Solicitor General?

  • Jerry Cornfield
  • Tuesday, May 11, 2010 5:39pm
  • Local News

With another opening in the Obama Administration comes fresh talk of Gov. Chris Gregoire leaving office early to head to the other Washington.

Yesterday, I didn’t think much of the

ruminations of Peter Callaghan and the BIAW on Gregoire getting tapped to succeed Elena Kagan as solicitor general.

Today, I am paying a bit more attention though hardly convinced Gregoire is looking for an interview outfit.

On Monday, I called friends in Washington, D.C. who tend to hear such rumors and know when they’re true. They said they had not heard a thing.

Today, I got a call back from one who said they had heard Gregoire’s name is on a list of names of people who may get considered.

(I could not reach the governor to find out if she’s been told she’s on a list or not.)

It might not seem shocking for her to make the list. Gregoire and Kagan have known each other for awhile.

When Kagan served in the Clinton Administration, she and Gregoire, then Washington’s AG, worked together on the national tobacco case. Kagan, while working for Clinton, hired a Gregoire daughter to be executive assistant for a period of time, according to the governor’s staff.

Media types on the East Coast don’t have her on the top of their list.

In the Wall Street Journal law blog the early favorite for the job is Don Verrilli, an associate White House Counsel.

The other name showing up in stories on this subject is Deputy Solicitor General Neal Katyal. His life story can be found here.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

In this Jan. 4, 2019 photo, workers and other officials gather outside the Sky Valley Education Center school in Monroe, Wash., before going inside to collect samples for testing. The samples were tested for PCBs, or polychlorinated biphenyls, as well as dioxins and furans. A lawsuit filed on behalf of several families and teachers claims that officials failed to adequately respond to PCBs, or polychlorinated biphenyls, in the school. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
Judge halves $784M for women exposed to Monsanto chemicals at Monroe school

Monsanto lawyers argued “arbitrary and excessive” damages in the Sky Valley Education Center case “cannot withstand constitutional scrutiny.”

Mukilteo Police Chief Andy Illyn and the graphic he created. He is currently attending the 10-week FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia. (Photo provided by Andy Illyn)
Help wanted: Unicorns for ‘pure magic’ career with Mukilteo police

“There’s a whole population who would be amazing police officers” but never considered it, the police chief said.

Alan Edward Dean, convicted of the 1993 murder of Melissa Lee, professes his innocence in the courtroom during his sentencing Wednesday, April 24, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Bothell man gets 26 years in cold case murder of Melissa Lee, 15

“I’m innocent, not guilty. … They planted that DNA. I’ve been framed,” said Alan Edward Dean, as he was sentenced for the 1993 murder.

People hang up hearts with messages about saving the Clark Park gazebo during a “heart bomb” event hosted by Historic Everett on Saturday, Feb. 17, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Clark Park gazebo removal complicated by Everett historical group

Over a City Hall push, the city’s historical commission wants to find ways to keep the gazebo in place, alongside a proposed dog park.

Hawthorne Elementary students Kayden Smith, left, John Handall and Jace Debolt use their golden shovels to help plant a tree at Wiggums Hollow Park  in celebration of Washington’s Arbor Day on Wednesday, April 13, 2022 in Everett. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Snohomish County to hold post-Earth Day recycling event in Monroe

Locals can bring hard-to-recycle items to Evergreen State Fair Park. Accepted items include Styrofoam, electronics and tires.

Everett
Everett baby dies amid string of child fentanyl overdoses

Firefighters have responded to three incidents of children under 2 who were exposed to fentanyl this week. Police were investigating.

Everett
Everett police arrest different man in fatal pellet gun shooting

After new evidence came to light, manslaughter charges were dropped against Alexander Moseid. Police arrested Aaron Trevino.

A Mukilteo Speedway sign hangs at an intersection along the road on Sunday, April 21, 2024, in Mukilteo, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
What’s in a ‘speedway’? Mukilteo considers renaming main drag

“Why would anybody name their major road a speedway?” wondered Mayor Joe Marine. The city is considering a rebrand for its arterial route.

Edmonds City Council members answer questions during an Edmonds City Council Town Hall on Thursday, April 18, 2024 in Edmonds, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Edmonds fire service faces expiration date, quandary about what’s next

South County Fire will end a contract with the city in late 2025, citing insufficient funds. Edmonds sees four options for its next step.

House Transportation Subcommittee Chairman Rep. Rick Larsen, D-Wash., speaks during a hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, May 15, 2019, on the status of the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft.(AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
How Snohomish County lawmakers voted on TikTok ban, aid to Israel, Ukraine

The package includes a bill to ban TikTok if it stays in the hands of a Chinese company, which made one Everett lawmaker object.

FILE - In this May 26, 2020, file photo, a grizzly bear roams an exhibit at the Woodland Park Zoo, closed for nearly three months because of the coronavirus outbreak in Seattle. Grizzly bears once roamed the rugged landscape of the North Cascades in Washington state but few have been sighted in recent decades. The federal government is scrapping plans to reintroduce grizzly bears to the North Cascades ecosystem. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson, File)
Grizzlies to return to North Cascades, feds confirm in controversial plan

Under a final plan announced Thursday, officials will release three to seven bears per year. They anticipate 200 in a century.s

ZeroAvia founder and CEO Val Mifthakof, left, shows Gov. Jay Inslee a hydrogen-powered motor during an event at ZeroAvia’s new Everett facility on Wednesday, April 24, 2024, near Paine Field in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
ZeroAvia’s new Everett center ‘a huge step in decarbonizing’ aviation

The British-American company, which is developing hydrogen-electric powered aircraft, expects one day to employ hundreds at the site.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.