WASHINGTON, D.C. – Attorney General Karl A. Racine today announced that Caroline S. Van Zile will serve as Solicitor General for the District of Columbia.

Ms. Van Zile, who previously served as Principal Deputy Solicitor General and as Acting Solicitor General, will lead all appellate litigation for the Office of the Attorney General (OAG). In her role, she will manage a team of attorneys that handles over 400 pending appeals each year in the D.C. Court of Appeals, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, and the U.S. Supreme Court. Former Solicitor General Loren AliKhan was recently confirmed by the U.S. Senate and now serves as an Associate Judge on the District of Columbia Court of Appeals.

“Caroline’s exceptional work as Principal Deputy Solicitor General and her commitment to justice, excellence, and developing talent made her the clear choice to become the District’s top appellate lawyer,” said AG Racine. “She stood out amid an impressive field of applicants, and under her leadership, I know our Office of the Solicitor General will continue to grow and do even more to protect our most vulnerable residents.”

Ms. Van Zile previously served as the District’s Principal Deputy Solicitor General since 2020 and has worked for OAG since 2018. Starting in February 2022, she served as Acting Solicitor General.

Before joining OAG’s Office of the Solicitor General, Ms. Van Zile worked on complex and novel legal issues for cases in appellate and trial courts at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP in Washington, DC. She maintained a robust pro bono practice there, litigating cases involving civil rights, criminal justice, and reproductive rights.  Prior to that, she served as a law clerk for Justice Anthony M. Kennedy on the U.S. Supreme Court; for Judge James E. Boasberg on the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia; and for then-Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.

Ms. Van Zile holds a J.D. from Yale Law School, an M.S. in Teaching from Pace University, and a B.A., summa cum laude, from Yale University. She is a Ward 1 resident and was born in the District. Working on behalf of the public is the family business: her mother was a public school teacher before retiring, and her father worked for OAG when it was known as the Office of the Corporation Counsel. She remains active in legal and community service organizations, including the Edward Coke Appellate Inn of Court, the Marshall-Brennan Constitutional Literacy Project, the Georgetown Supreme Court Institute, and Capital Partners for Education.

Ms. Van Zile now serves as the District of Columbia’s third Solicitor General, following Ms. AliKhan and Todd Kim.