U.S. Deputy Solicitor General To Receive Jefferson Medal in Law
Edwin S. Kneedler ’74 Has Argued Over 150 Cases Before Supreme Court
Edwin S. Kneedler ’74, who has served as a U.S. deputy solicitor general for more than three decades, has been named this year’s recipient of the Thomas Jefferson Foundation Medal in Law.
Sponsored jointly by the University of Virginia and the Thomas Jefferson Foundation, the nonprofit organization that owns and operates Monticello, the Thomas Jefferson Foundation Medals are awarded each year to recognize the achievements of those who embrace endeavors in which Jefferson — author of the Declaration of Independence, third U.S. president and founder of the University of Virginia — excelled and held in high regard. The medals, which will also be awarded for architecture and citizen leadership this year, are UVA’s highest external honors.
“Edwin Kneedler’s decades of service to our country have been marked by his deep commitment to integrity, honor and the rule of law,” Dean Leslie Kendrick ’06 said. “In a career that has spanned 10 presidential administrations, he has represented the United States in enormously consequential cases before the Supreme Court and other federal courts. His remarkable record of government service is an example to us all.”
Kneedler will speak in recognition of his award April 10 at 1 p.m. in the Law School’s Caplin Pavilion.
Kneedler has argued over 150 cases before the U.S. Supreme Court — more than any other currently practicing attorney. He became deputy solicitor general in 1993 and served as acting solicitor general in early 2009. Kneedler joined the Office of the Solicitor General in 1979 after working for four years in the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel, then headed by Assistant Attorney General Antonin Scalia.
He has worked on many high-profile cases on behalf of the U.S. government, including the defense of the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act; cases involving separation of powers, executive powers and international affairs; and most of the Supreme Court cases over the past 40 years involving Native Americans.
“Whenever Ed is on the brief or is arguing, I know — and I won’t speak for my colleagues, but I bet they all feel the same way — we’re getting the best possible argument that can be made for the position that he is defending,” Justice Samuel Alito told The Washington Post in 2014.
That same year, Kneedler received the Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement Award, one of the Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medals presented by the Partnership for Public Service.
“[My experience has been] beyond anything I could’ve imagined in terms of having the privilege to work here,” he said in a video ahead of the awards ceremony, reflecting on his Justice Department career. “I’m not talking about winning cases or losing cases, but just in terms of finding a role in life, finding a role in our society. That’s been tremendously rewarding.”
Kneedler earned his bachelor’s degree from Lehigh University.
Founded in 1819, the University of Virginia School of Law is the second-oldest continuously operating law school in the nation. Consistently ranked among the top law schools, Virginia is a world-renowned training ground for distinguished lawyers and public servants, instilling in them a commitment to leadership, integrity and community service.
