Attorney General Bonta Announces Appointment of Samuel Harbourt as California Solicitor General

OAKLAND — California Attorney General Rob Bonta today announced the appointment of Samuel Harbourt to the position of California Solicitor General. Harbourt will serve as the chief appellate lawyer for the California Department of Justice, managing the Office of the Solicitor General in overseeing civil and criminal appeals. Harbourt will continue the work of outgoing Solicitor General Michael Mongan, who is departing after six years of outstanding, dedicated service in the post and after 11 years of service within the Office of the Solicitor General. 

“Sam has played a pivotal role in guiding our office’s appellate strategy over the past few years as a Deputy Solicitor General and Supervising Deputy Solicitor General,” said Attorney General Bonta. “I am confident that, as California’s new Solicitor General, he will bring outstanding leadership and be an important voice as our office continues to stand up and fight for our democratic values and constitutional rights.” 

“It is an honor to take on the role of California’s next Solicitor General, and I’m grateful for the Attorney General’s trust in selecting me for this position,” said Samuel Harbourt. “I look forward to leading the incredible team in the Office of the Solicitor General and to continuing our important work to protect and defend our laws and constitution.”

Harbourt joined the California Department of Justice in 2020 as a Deputy Solicitor General, where he briefed and argued numerous cases in the state and federal appellate courts on a range of important issues, including most recently, arguing before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in Newsom v. Trump, California’s lawsuit challenging the Trump Administration’s unlawful federalization of the California National Guard. Harbourt also handled the merits briefing and oral argument in the U.S. Supreme Court in Lange v. California, a case addressing the scope of the Fourth Amendment’s warrant requirement, and merits briefing in the U.S. Supreme Court in National Pork Producers v. Ross, defending Proposition 12, which prohibits the sale of pork from animals confined in violation of California standards. In the California Supreme Court, Harbourt has briefed and argued important cases involving LGBTQ+ rights, commercial bail regulation, and corporate liability for causing wildfires. 

Prior to joining the California Department of Justice, Harbourt clerked for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Chief Judge Merrick Garland of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Harbourt also worked as a Managing Associate in the Supreme Court & Appellate Group at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe. Prior to that, he served as a Bristow Fellow in the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the Solicitor General, and as a research assistant for Harvard Law School Professor Laurence Tribe.

Harbourt received his Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service from Georgetown University and his Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School. He lives in San Francisco with his husband and was recently profiled as part of the “Meet Your DOJ” series. In 2021, Harbourt was named by the National LGBTQ+ Bar Association as one of the 40 Best LGBTQ+ Lawyers Under 40. Over the past several years, Harbourt has served on the board of the Bay Area Lawyer Chapter of the American Constitution Society.

Harbourt will officially assume his new post on October 1.