In a strategic legal appointment, William Peterson, a partner at the prominent law firm Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, has been named as the incoming Solicitor General of Texas. This change in leadership was announced by Attorney General Ken Paxton, who confirmed that Peterson will assume his new role next month. This decision follows Aaron Nielson’s departure, as he transitions to a tenured professorship at the University of Texas School of Law.
The appointment of Peterson coincides with a significant legal victory for the state of Texas. On the same day as the announcement, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld Texas’s law requiring age verification for visitors to pornographic websites, a case that was argued under Nielson’s leadership as Solicitor General. For more details on the court’s decision, visit Bloomberg Law’s coverage.
Peterson, who is a native Texan and an alumnus of the University of Texas School of Law, brings a wealth of experience to his new role, having clerked at the U.S. Supreme Court and built a notable career at Morgan Lewis. His legal acumen and familiarity with Texas’s legal landscape are expected to influence significant state legal matters in the coming months. The full announcement can be accessed via Bloomberg Law’s article.