Trump-appointed Fil-Am solicitor general to resign

Francisco has defended President Donald Trump’s policies before the Supreme Court, including a travel ban on people from Muslim majority countries. AP PHOTO

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Noel Francisco, the Filipino American solicitor general who is the top Trump advocate before the Supreme Court, is expected to step down, according to several reports citing as sources people familiar with his plans.

Francisco has defended President Donald Trump’s policies before the Supreme Court, including a travel ban on people from Muslim majority countries, the inclusion of a citizenship question on the US Census, and most recently for an end to DACA, the Obama-era policy  shielding young immigrants who were brought to the US without proper documentation.

Francisco also has led the Department of Justice’s briefs supporting Trump’s efforts to block subpoenas from the US House of Representatives and a New York grand jury for personal financial documents, including tax returns.

The White House won the travel ban case in 2018 and last year lost on the battle over a citizenship query on the 2020 census. The Supreme Court is scheduled to rule in upcoming weeks on the Trump administration’s plan to phase out the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and subpoenas against Trump’s longtime accountants and banks.

Francisco has also aggressively sought Supreme Court intervention when lower court judges have blocked Trump policies at early stages of litigation.