Noah Purcell

Noah Guzzo Purcell (born 1980) is an American attorney serving as the Solicitor General of the State of Washington. He gained national attention when he halted President Donald Trump's first Travel Ban with a successful lawsuit on behalf of the State of Washington in Washington v. Trump.

Noah Purcell
Solicitor General of Washington
Assumed office
2013
GovernorJay Inslee
Preceded byMaureen Hart
Personal details
Born
Noah Guzzo Purcell

1980 (age 40–41)
Seattle, Washington, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Alma materUniversity of Washington (BA)
Harvard University (JD)

Early life and education

Born in Seattle, Purcell graduated from Franklin High School in the Mount Baker neighborhood. He graduated from the University of Washington in 2002, where he earned a Mary Gates Leadership award for his work on affordable tuition. He later earned a Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School, where he served as an editor of the Harvard Law Review.[1][2]

Career

After graduating from Harvard Law School, Purcell clerked for Associate Justice of the Supreme Court David Souter and D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals Judge David S. Tatel.[3] Souter, who served as the Attorney General of New Hampshire from 1976 to 1978, stated that "Noah was a terrific law clerk, and he'll be a terrific Solicitor General."

From 2009 to 2010, Purcell served in the United States Department of Homeland Security, where he worked to challenge Arizona's immigration law implemented during the administration of Jan Brewer.[4] Prior to his appointment to the office of the Solicitor General, he was an associate at Seattle law firm Perkins Coie, where he worked on appellate matters. Purcell has litigation experience and knowledge as in the areas of constitutional issues, campaign financing, and environmental law, and administrative law.[5]

Solicitor General of Washington

Purcell succeeded retiring Solicitor General, Maureen Hart. Purcell is a member of the King County Bar Association, and was awarded the Friend of the Legal Profession Award by the association in 2017.[6]

Travel ban case

Under Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson, Purcell led the state's challenge to Donald Trump's Executive Order 13769 which restricted travel to the United States from seven Muslim-majority nations. Purcell argued the state's case before Judge James Robart of the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington and a panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.[7][8][9]

After the successful halt of President Trump's first travel ban, Ferguson, Purcell and Robart were named one of the most influential Seattleites of 2017 by Seattle Magazine.[10] Purcell has spoken about how the travel ban had a personal impact on his family because his wife is the daughter of Iranian immigrants who fled their country in the 1970s.[11]

Political career

On April 4, 2019, Purcell announced that he would form an exploratory committee to consider a run for Attorney General of Washington.[12][13] He stated he would only run if Bob Ferguson, the incumbent Attorney General, ran for Governor. After withdrawing from the Democratic nomination for President, Jay Inslee announced he would run for re-election as Governor in 2020. Thus, Ferguson did not run for governor, and Purcell announced the end of exploratory committee.[14]

References
  1. Orenstein, Walker. "State solicitor general takes national stage in case against Trump's immigration order". The News Tribune. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
  2. "Catch Up With '02 Gates Scholars Jasmin Weaver & Noah Purcell". University of Washington. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
  3. Kerns, Josh. "Meet Noah Purcell: WA's de facto defender of the Constitution". My Northwest. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
  4. "Solicitor General's Office | Washington State". www.atg.wa.gov. Retrieved June 27, 2020.
  5. "2017 Labor & Employment Law Workshop". Perkins Coie. Retrieved June 27, 2020.
  6. "Bar Bulletin | 2017 Friend of the Legal Profession Award Winner N". www.kcba.org. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
  7. Orenstein, Walker (February 7, 2017). "State solicitor general takes national stage in case against Trump's immigration order". The Olympian. Retrieved April 22, 2020.
  8. Cleary, Tom. "Noah Purcell: 5 Fast Facts You Need To Know". Heavy. Retrieved February 24, 2017.
  9. Inslee, Jay. "Statement from Gov. Jay Inslee regarding court order halting Trump immigration orders". Washington Governor Jay Inslee. Retrieved August 3, 2018.
  10. Morgan, Linda (November 2017). "Most Influential Seattleites of 2017: Bob Ferguson, Noah Purcell and James Robart". Seattle Magazine. Retrieved April 22, 2020.
  11. Bellisle, Martha (February 17, 2020). "Trump travel ban personal for young Washington lawyer who led fight". The Spokesman-Review. Associated Press. Retrieved April 22, 2020.
  12. Santos, Melissa. "With Jay Inslee running for president, here's who might lead WA next". Crosscut.com. Retrieved April 8, 2019.
  13. "Washington state Solicitor General Noah Purcell, who argued to block Trump travel ban, eyes bid for attorney general". The Seattle Times. April 4, 2019. Retrieved April 8, 2019.
  14. O'Sullivan, Joseph; Gutman, David (August 22, 2019). "Washington Gov. Jay Inslee to seek reelection, hours after dropping presidential bid". The Seattle Times. Retrieved April 22, 2020.
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