The Senate just confirmed Elliot Gaiser as the new head of the Office of Legal Counsel, one of the most important positions within the U.S. Department of Justice with significant implications for administrative law. He was previously Solicitor General of Ohio. When I was Solicitor General of Texas,* I had the good fortune to work with him, and I came away very impressed with his firepower and levelheadedness. He’s exceptionally smart.

For his part, Elliot will have the good fortune of working with Lanora Pettit, who has been running OLC. Before OLC, she was Principal Deputy Solicitor General of Texas — and, easily, is one of the most talented appellate lawyers I’ve ever worked with. Unsurprisingly, she’s also exceptionally smart.

OLC is often run by high-level appellate lawyers — both Ted Olson and Walter Dellinger (among others) headed the office. What is different this time is that OLC is now headed by lawyers with deep leadership experience in state government. What this means for federalism is worth watching.

* A position I left recently. Now I can post again!