Henry C. Whitaker

Henry Charles Whitaker (born April 29, 1978) is an American legal scholar who served as the Solicitor General of Florida from 2021 to 2025. Previously he was the Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Counsel at the U.S. Department of Justice in the District of Columbia. Donald Trump appointed him in January 2025 as acting head of the Office of Legal Counsel.^[1]

Henry C. Whitaker
United States Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Counsel
Acting
Assumed office January 20, 2025
Preceded by	Christopher Fonzone
9th Solicitor General of Florida
In office July 1, 2021 – January 17, 2025
Attorney General	Ashley Moody
Preceded by	Amit Agarwal
Personal details
Born	(1978-04-29) April 29, 1978 (age 47) Falls Church, Virginia, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Education	Yale University (BA) Harvard University (JD)
Occupation	Attorney teacher

Early life and education

Henry Charles Whitaker was born in Falls Church, Virginia.^{[citation needed]}

In 2000 he graduated from Yale University with a Bachelor of Arts, magna cum laude. He then attended Harvard Law School, where he received a Juris Doctor, magna cum laude, in 2003.^[2][3]

Career

Whitaker clerked for Judge David B. Sentelle of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit and Justice Clarence Thomas of the Supreme Court of the United States.^[3]

He was the Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Counsel at the U.S. Department of Justice. In that position, he advised the White House Counsel and cabinet secretaries regarding constitutional and statutory questions. Following his clerkships, he served on the Appellate Staff of the Civil Division of the DOJ where he argued more than 40 federal court appeals.^[2][3]

He is a contributor to and member of the Federalist Society.^[3]

Solicitor General, 2021-2024

Whitaker was appointed as Florida Solicitor General by Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody in July 2021. He was admitted to the Florida Bar (ID #1031175) on September 22, 2021.^[4] As Florida Solicitor General, Whitaker oversaw civil appeals involving the state's interests in all state and federal appellate courts. He also serves as the Richard Ervin Visiting Professor in the Florida State University College of Law where he teaches.^[2] His $165,000 salary was split between the state and FSU.^[5]

While Solicitor General, Whitaker argued cases before the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeal, the Florida Supreme Court, the First District Court of Appeal, several Judicial Circuits, and United States Supreme Court.^[5][6]

OLC, 2025

Donald Trump appointed him in January 2025 as acting head of the Office of Legal Counsel.^[1] As of February his name was no longer on the OLC website.^[7] He is currently serving as a Counselor to the U.S. Attorney General.