solicitor general
11
8.3
- noun
- /səˈlɪsɪtər ˈdʒɛnərəl/
- Formal
:
procurador general
- The solicitor general is responsible for handling appeals on behalf of the state.
- former solicitor general
- U.S. solicitor general
Examples
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Erwin N. Griswold, a former dean of the Harvard Law School and a former U.S. solicitor general, insists that Blackmun defies labeling.
Academic text (1994) -
The FTC's petition was opposed by the solicitor general because the circuit courts had agreed on the legality of pay-for-delay.
Blog text (1) -
Could you get me the solicitor general, please?
-
What did Arizona's solicitor general, David Cole, have to say?
Blog text (7) -
In 1840, he was elected solicitor general of the middle circuit of Georgia.
Academic text (2009) -
Kagan, currently the U.S. solicitor general, has made few public remarks about the Constitution's Second Amendment.
Blog text (17) -
In the 1993 term, the solicitor general's office filed 37 petitions, of which six were still pending at the end of August.
Academic text (1994) -
What You Need to Know: Bork, then solicitor general, agreed to fire Special Prosecutor Archibald Cox, who was close to cracking open Watergate.
Blog text (27) -
PHOTO (COLOR): Rex E. Lee, who served as solicitor general from 1981-85, is a graduate of Brigham Young University and the University of Chicago Law School.
Academic text (1993) -
Questions about the anti-Clinton crusade nearly scuttled the nomination of one of the group's most influential leaders, Theodore Olson, for solicitor general.
Academic text (2001)
Surface Forms
Morphology
The parts indicate a type of lawyer—'solicitor'—so learners can guess it refers to a legal officer, but they will not be able to derive the specific institutional role (an appointed government lawyer who assists the Attorney General and argues in higher courts) from 'general' alone. The modifier 'general' in this title does not transparently convey that specialized function, making the expression partially predictable but requiring prior exposure for full understanding.
Etymology
Solicitor general comes from older English words: a solicitor was someone who asked for or looked after people's legal business, and general meant 'for the whole government'. So today a solicitor general is the lawyer who 'represents the government' in higher courts and helps the attorney general.