Attorney General Ashley Moody expresses condolences for the first Solicitor General for the State of Florida, Tom Warner, who passed away on Jan. 11, 2019. Attorney General Bob Butterworth requested the creation of the Solicitor General position in 1999 to serve within the Office of the Attorney General.
Attorney General Ashley Moody said, “The role of the Solicitor General is vital to the success of the Office of the Attorney General and the State of Florida. Tom Warner not only took on this role and established the significant functions for the Office of Solicitor General, he trailblazed in many successful cases while representing the State of Florida. Tom Warner’s many years of public service has left a great mark on our state. My deepest condolences to his family and friends.”
Florida Solicitor General Amit Agarwal said, “Tom Warner described the office of the Florida Solicitor General as ‘the greatest job for a lawyer in the State of Florida.’ He helped to make it that. His goal for the office, he once wrote, was ‘not merely to prevail in the instant case or to achieve victory, but to establish justice.’ The State, and those of us who have been fortunate to follow in his footsteps, owe him a tremendous debt of gratitude for his long and distinguished career of public service, including his pioneering work as Florida’s first Solicitor General.”
The Solicitor General oversees civil appeals involving the State and has the authority to decide whether the State should appeal a case to the Florida Supreme Court, United States Supreme Court, or the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeal, as well as the authority to decide whether the State should file or join an amicus brief in state or federal court, primarily the Florida Supreme Court and United States Supreme Court. The Solicitor General also monitors those cases in the Attorney General’s Office that involve the constitutionality of a statute, the interpretation of a constitutional provision, the functions of government, or other matter of great public interest. The Solicitor General considers each request and independently researches the issues presented in the case to determine whether or how the State’s interests may be implicated by the case.
For more information about the role of the Solicitor General, click here.
