Noel J. Francisco

Noel John Francisco is an American attorney who served as the Solicitor General of the United States from 2017–2020. He rejoined Jones Day in July 2020. 

In his first tenure with Jones Day, Mr. Francisco chaired the Firm's Government Regulation Practice and successfully argued several cases in the United States Supreme Court, including: McDonnell v. United States, in which a unanimous Court overturned the federal bribery conviction of the governor of Virginia, and NLRB v. Noel Canning, in which the Court, by a 9-0 vote, limited the President's constitutional recess appointment power. Before joining Jones Day, Mr. Francisco served as Associate Counsel to President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2003 and as a Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Legal Counsel from 2003 to 2005. He also previously was a law clerk to the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. 

As Solicitor General, Mr. Francisco argued 17 cases in the Supreme Court on issues ranging from separation of powers to religious liberty and free speech. Those included the successful defense of the President's orders restricting travel from countries deemed to present security risks (Trump v. Hawaii), a ruling vindicating the First Amendment rights of public employees who decline to join a union (Janus v. AFSCME), and a decision lessening obstacles to property owners seeking to bring claims for government takings of private property (Knick v. Township of Scott). Mr. Francisco also successfully argued that agency interpretations of their own regulations should be given significantly less judicial deference, a Supreme Court ruling that will ultimately strengthen the rule of law (Kisor v. Wilkie).