Walter Dellinger to Take Over High Court Argument for Gun Ban
A lawyer who helped Washington, D.C., draft a U.S. Supreme Court brief defending its gun ban will take over as lead counsel on the Second Amendment case pending before the U.S. Supreme Court.
Walter Dellinger of O’Melveny & Myers, a former acting U.S. solicitor general, takes over the role of Alan Morrison, who was told he was being fired earlier this week, the Washington Post reports. Dellinger has argued 17 cases before the high court.
Morrison said he assumed he was being fired because he was viewed as a loyalist of D.C. Attorney General Linda Singer, who quit her post two weeks ago, reportedly because of differences with Acting D.C. Attorney General Peter Nickles.
But a government source told the Post that Nickles and Morrison had differences over the handgun brief, a suggestion that Morrison rejected. Morrison said the dispute over “a tiny point” was resolved after some discussions.
Nickles told the Post he believes the transition will go smoothly. “I have confidence in Walter Dellinger,” he said. “He has argued a huge number of great cases.”
