Solicitor General
The solicitor general is the chief litigation policy advisor to the attorney general, providing comprehensive oversight of state and federal litigation for Indiana. The solicitor general also:
- Handles specific cases involving constitutional challenges
- Pursues cases with issues of vital interest to state government
- Makes recommendations to the attorney general on the state’s participation in filing amicus curiae briefs (friend of the court briefs)
- Consults with the Appellate Division to determine which civil cases the state should appeal and the appropriate legal position to pursue
Solicitor General Tom Fisher
Tom Fisher has been with the attorney general’s office as special counsel since February 2001. Prior to joining the attorney general’s office, Fisher worked in private practice in Indianapolis and Washington, D.C., and clerked for Judge Michael S. Kanne of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. Originally from
Remington, Indiana, Fisher received a bachelor’s degree in 1991 from Wabash College, graduating with honors. He earned a law degree, also with honors, from Indiana University School of Law, Bloomington, in 1994.
Tom Fisher has defended Indiana's popular Do Not Call law on several fronts, including successfully arguing before a state court in Evansville and in the federal district court in Indianapolis. Fisher represents the attorney general in State of Indiana v. Pastrick, a lawsuit brought under federal and state civil Racketeering Influenced Corrupt Organization (RICO) laws against the former mayor of East Chicago and other current and former city officials and contractors. Recently, Fisher wrote an amicus curiae brief urging the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold a state government Ten Commandments display in Texas. Seventeen other attorneys general joined the brief. In a 2005 ruling, the high court upheld the Texas display.
In 2003, the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) awarded Fisher a Best Brief Award for his work in the U.S. Supreme Court.
Indiana joins 30 other states that have the position of solicitor general.
|
