back to top


After a routine Supreme Court argument on Wednesday, Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. asked the lawyer who had represented the government to return to the lectern.

“You have just presented your 160th argument before this court, and I understand it is intended to be your last,” the chief justice told the lawyer, Edwin S. Kneedler, who is retiring as a deputy solicitor general. “That is the record for modern times.”

Chief Justice Roberts talked a little more, with affection and high praise, thanking Mr. Kneedler for his “extraordinary care and professionalism.”

Then something remarkable happened. Applause burst out in the courtroom, and that led to a standing ovation for Mr. Kneedler, with the justices joining, too.

“It was a rare moment of unanimity and spontaneous joy from all nine justices on the bench,” said Richard Lazarus, a law professor at Harvard. “They were all beaming.”

Kannon Shanmugam, a veteran Supreme Court lawyer, said it was “one of the most electric moments I’ve ever seen in the courtroom.”

The tribute to Mr. Kneedler’s candor and integrity came against the backdrop of a different kind of courtroom behavior. In the early months of the second Trump administration, its lawyers have been accused of gamesmanship, dishonesty and defiance, and have been fired for providing frank answers to judges.

Mr. Kneedler presented a different model, former colleagues said.

“Ed is the embodiment of the government lawyer ideal — one whose duty of candor to the court and interest in doing justice, not just winning a case, always carried the day,” said Gregory G. Garre, who served as solicitor general under President George W. Bush.

Mr. Shanmugam said Mr. Kneedler’s loyalty was to the rule of law. “He would much rather get the law right at the risk of losing,” Mr. Shanmugam said, “than win at the cost of misrepresenting the law.”

Seth P. Waxman, who was solicitor general in the Clinton administration, said Mr. Kneedler was the opposite of a partisan.

“In all the years that I worked with Ed in the Justice Department, I did not know his politics,” Mr. Waxman said.

Mr. Kneedler joined the Office of the Solicitor General, the elite unit of the Justice Department that represents the federal government in the Supreme Court, in 1979, served in many administrations and helped tutor the solicitors general who came and went.

“I was incredibly lucky to have Ed as a deputy when I was S.G.,” Justice Elena Kagan, who served as solicitor general in the Obama administration, said in a statement. “There’s pretty much no legal question he can’t answer. And he has a bone-deep understanding of the traditions and ethos of the S.G.’s office.”

She added: “I learned from him every day, and I did my job far better because he was there. In all the time I’ve spent in government, I’ve never known a finer public servant.”

That was something like a consensus view among former solicitors general. Mr. Waxman, for instance, called Mr. Kneedler “a national treasure.”

Noel J. Francisco, the solicitor general in the first Trump administration, said that Mr. Kneedler was “not just a font of knowledge, but of wisdom.”

Elizabeth B. Prelogar, the solicitor general in the Biden administration, said that “Ed Kneedler represents the very best of what it means to be a lawyer for the United States.”

Mr. Kneedler’s retirement is part of a wave of departures from the solicitor general’s office, which is quite small. After the solicitor general and a handful of deputies, there are just 16 line lawyers. About half of them are leaving, The Washington Post reported this month.

Mr. Kneedler, 79, did not respond to requests for an interview. When he received an award this month from the University of Virginia’s law school, his alma mater, he said he was “a career civil servant, not in the press if I can avoid it.”

At the ceremony, Mr. Kneedler gave extended remarks, making points that in another era might have seemed unremarkable. These days, they verged on provocative.

Calling himself a “citizen lawyer,” he praised the many federal employees he had worked with, saying he had been impressed by their “compassion and understanding for our country, and dedication to our country.”

He said his office analyzed legal issues with rigor and care, at least in cases on the court’s regular docket. Since Mr. Trump took office in January, the government has filed a torrent of emergency applications on what critics call the court’s shadow docket.

“When we don’t have emergencies like we have a number of now,” Mr. Kneedler said, “we have a very structured decision-making process.”

Leslie Kendrick, the Virginia law school’s dean, asked Mr. Kneedler a few questions, one of which was premised on his office’s “commitment to providing nonpartisan representation for the United States, regardless of cause, regardless of the political leadership of the other two branches.”

Mr. Kneedler did not quite adopt the premise. “We are lawyers for the United States,” he said, “and the administration in office is the ultimate determiner of what the interests of the United States are.”

But he ended his remarks on a hopeful note. “We’re all part of a process that is leading us to a more perfect union,” he said, “which means a union in which we are coming together, not apart.”

Before the standing ovation at the Supreme Court on Wednesday, Chief Justice Roberts, himself a veteran of the solicitor general’s office, added what he called a personal note as he spoke to Mr. Kneedler.

“I recall that on two occasions you and I argued on the same side here, me representing a private client and you the United States,” the chief justice said. “We lost each of those cases. I’m sure it was my fault. Mr. Kneedler, thank you for your outstanding service to court and country.”

UFO whistleblower reveals the FOUR types of aliens the US government knows about

Share post:


By STACY LIBERATORE, U.S. SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY EDITOR

A recent Capitol Hill hearing has reignited debate over Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAPs) and the possibility of extraterrestrial life. 

In a May UAP briefing, physicist Dr Eric Davis, known for his work on top-secret Pentagon projects, stunned listeners by referencing alleged alien species, ‘Grays, Nordics, Insectoids, and Reptilians,’ as potential operators of unidentified craft. 

Davis described these entities as humanoid, approximately human-sized, and possibly linked to classified reverse-engineering programs.

Missouri Representative Eric Burlison, a member of the House Oversight Committee and UAP caucus, prompted the discussion, revealing on The Endless Void with Kristin Fisher that he had heard these same four classifications in private briefings.

‘I’ve heard those four classifications discussed in meetings in this office by others,’ Burlison said. 

‘But what I wasn’t expecting was for him to say it. I wasn’t expecting Eric Davis, you know, respected scientists, to say that.’

Burlison, a self-described skeptic, admitted uncertainty about Davis’s sources, noting the physicist’s comments may stem from firsthand knowledge or secondhand reports. 

‘If true, this would be a paradigm-shifting moment,’ Burlison said. ‘But if it is true, the government has no right to keep such a secret from the public it serves.’ 

A respected scientists told Congress that there are four alien species piloting craft in our skies, including Nordics that have human-like features

Dr Eric Davis (left) described these entities as humanoid, approximately human-sized, and possibly linked to classified reverse-engineering programs. Missouri Representative Eric Burlison prompted the question about the different alien species 

The concept of Grays as a popular alien archetype took hold in the mid-1960s, largely due to the famous Betty and Barney Hill abduction case. 

The couple described being taken by small humanoids with smooth gray skin, large black almond-shaped eyes, and lacking typical human features like noses or ears.

Nordics are described as tall, slender beings resembling Scandinavian humans, with blonde hair, blue eyes, and fair skin. 

Often linked to the Pleiades star cluster, these entities are said to possess advanced technology and peaceful intentions, featuring prominently in 1950s contactee and UFO lore.

Insectoids, meanwhile, have been part of alien mythology since at least the early 1900s, with roots tracing back to Georges Méliès’ 1902 film ‘A Trip to the Moon.’ 

These beings exhibit insect-like traits such as multiple limbs, exoskeletons, mandibles, and sometimes antennae.

The reptilian theory, claiming shape-shifting reptilian aliens secretly control Earth, surged in popularity through conspiracy theorist David Icke in the late 20th century. 

Interestingly, similar half-human, half-serpent figures appear in ancient South and Southeast Asian myths, such as the Nāga.

Another is Grays, described as small humanoids with smooth gray skin, large black almond-shaped eyes, and lacking typical human features like noses or ears

Betty (left) and Barney Hill (right) were the first Americans who claimed they were abducted by Grays in September 1961

While Davis named each of these in May, Burlison leaned toward a more earthly explanation, suggesting UAPs are likely advanced human-made technologies, perhaps experimental projects by private contractors.

‘With all of the advancements that we’ve made, the fact that we discovered the Higgs Boson particle, all of the discoveries in quantum physics, and that nobody has figured out a way to create some form of advanced propulsion,’ he remarked. 

However, Burlison expressed frustration at the thought of such technology existing, recalling how he sat delayed on a tarmac for three hours due to weather, joking, ‘If we have advanced propulsion, I’m going to be really angry.’ 

Critics have dismissed the hearings as veering into the absurd, with references to ‘reptilians’ and ‘insectoids’ sounding more like science fiction than serious inquiry.

Insectoids, meanwhile, have been part of alien mythology since at least the early 1900s, with roots tracing back to Georges Méliès’ 1902 film ‘A Trip to the Moon.’ These beings exhibit insect-like traits such as multiple limbs, exoskeletons, mandibles, and sometimes antennae

Davis named each of these under oath in May as the beings invading Earth’s skies. Pictured is a shot from the ‘Go Fast’ video that was released in 

‘Some will think we’re nuts,’ Burlison acknowledged, aware of the skepticism his comments invite.

Yet he defended the investigation, emphasizing that taxpayer money funds Pentagon, intelligence, and energy department programs studying UAPs.

‘I owe it to the American people to get to the bottom of this,’ he said.

Burlison believes the public could handle the truth if aliens were confirmed.

‘Most would just read the headline and move on,’ he predicted, noting humanity’s tendency to normalize even the most extraordinary revelations.

However, he insisted that any such discoveries should not be hidden.

‘The government belongs to the people, not the other way around,’ Burlison stressed. ‘Keeping such monumental secrets would betray the trust of the public.’

While remaining cautious about extraterrestrial claims, Burlison plans to press Dr Davis for clarification on whether his startling remarks come from direct knowledge or secondary reports.

The reptilian theory, claiming shape-shifting reptilian aliens secretly control Earth, surged in popularity through conspiracy theorist David Icke in the late 20th century

Burlison believes the public could handle the truth if aliens were confirmed. 

‘Some will read the headline and go about their day,’ he predicted, citing human behavior’s tendency to normalize even earth-shattering news. 

However, he stressed that any such revelation should not be kept secret.

‘I believe that this government belongs to the people. It’s not that the people don’t belong to the government,’ he said, arguing that withholding paradigm-shifting discoveries would betray public trust.

The lack of concrete evidence, coupled with Davis’s ambiguous sources, keeps the debate speculative. Burlison plans to follow up with Davis to clarify whether his claims stem from direct observation or research assignments analyzing reported phenomena.

Exit mobile version