There is no single public list of every lawyer who has argued before the U.S. Supreme Court, and the Court itself does not publish a master directory of advocates. To build a Supreme Court lawyers list for your own purposes, whether you want to know who argued a specific case, who is scheduled to argue next, or which attorneys appear most often, you combine a few official and academic sources. Each covers a different slice of the record.
Look Up a Specific Case Through the Court’s Transcripts
The Supreme Court’s own website is the most authoritative starting point. Since the October 2006 Term, the Court has posted official transcripts of oral arguments on the same day they are heard, and each transcript identifies every attorney who spoke.1Supreme Court of the United States. Transcripts and Recordings of Oral Arguments Audio recordings are posted on Fridays at the end of each argument week.
If you want to see who is coming up rather than who already argued, the Court publishes argument calendars listing scheduled cases and the attorneys set to appear. The calendars are organized by session and run from October through April each term.2Supreme Court of the United States. Calendars and Lists
Older Cases at the National Archives
For arguments before 2006, the National Archives holds the official records. Audio recordings go back to the 1955 October Term and transcripts to the 1968 October Term. The records are part of Record Group 267 and are split between two facilities: audio at the National Archives at College Park, Maryland, and transcripts at the National Archives Building in Washington, D.C.3National Archives. U.S. Supreme Court Oral Arguments
Finding Frequent Advocates Through Oyez and SCOTUSblog
Oyez, a free legal database that functions as a multimedia judicial archive, maintains the most useful ranking of frequent Supreme Court advocates. Its Top Advocates Report lists attorneys by total oral arguments (including rearguments), with a 50-argument threshold for inclusion. The report sits at oyez.org/top-advocates and links to the detailed numerical rankings. Oyez also hosts searchable transcripts and audio for individual cases going back decades, so you can search by lawyer name, topic, or docket number.
SCOTUSblog covers the Court’s current activities and publishes detailed case pages identifying the attorneys involved. It is more useful for following the current term than for deep historical research, but its archives can help you identify counsel in cases from the last several years.
Bar Membership Is Not the Same as Arguing
One point trips up many people searching for a Supreme Court lawyer: being admitted to the Supreme Court Bar is not the same thing as having argued a case there. The bar has an enormous membership. Many attorneys join for the credential or for the ceremonial swearing-in at the Court, with no plan to appear at the lectern. Only a small fraction of bar members ever present oral argument before the Justices.
If what you need is a lawyer with real argument experience, bar membership tells you very little. The transcripts and the Oyez rankings are far more useful, because they show who has actually stood up and argued.
Confirming a Specific Lawyer’s Bar Status
The Court does not maintain a publicly searchable online directory of its bar members. To confirm that a specific attorney is a current member in good standing, contact the Clerk’s Office directly at (202) 479-3387 or by email at ptadmit@supremecourt.gov.4Supreme Court of the United States. Bar Admissions Instructions
Who the Regulars Are
The lawyers who argue before the Court fall into a few recognizable groups, and knowing them narrows the search when you are looking for a particular kind of advocate.
The Solicitor General’s Office
The Solicitor General of the United States represents the federal government before the Court, and the office supervises and conducts all government litigation at that level, from petitions and briefs through oral argument.5eCFR. 28 CFR 0.20 D. John Sauer became the 49th Solicitor General in April 2025.6U.S. Department of Justice. D. John Sauer – Office of the Solicitor General Because the office appears in so many cases, its attorneys dominate the frequent-advocate rankings.
Private Appellate Specialists
A small group of private attorneys handles a disproportionate share of arguments. These lawyers typically practice at specialized appellate groups inside large firms or at boutique Supreme Court shops. Many built their expertise through clerkships at the Court or stints in the Solicitor General’s office before moving into private practice. Their names appear again and again in the argument transcripts and in the Oyez rankings.
Public Interest Lawyers and Amicus Counsel
Lawyers from public interest organizations argue cases involving civil rights, environmental law, and similar policy areas. They appear less often than the private specialists but tend to show up in high-profile cases. Separately, an attorney for an amicus curiae (a “friend of the court” who is not a party) can occasionally participate in oral argument, but the Court grants such requests only in extraordinary circumstances.7Supreme Court of the United States. Rules of the Supreme Court of the United States
Names at the Top of the Modern Rankings
Edwin S. Kneedler, a longtime Deputy Solicitor General, holds the modern-era record with 160 oral arguments. His final argument came on April 23, 2025, and Chief Justice Roberts acknowledged the milestone from the bench. Kneedler retired shortly afterward. The prior record holder was Lawrence G. Wallace, another Solicitor General’s office veteran, with 157 arguments.
Among private practitioners, Paul D. Clement and Neal Katyal are the most recognized names. Both are former government lawyers who moved into private appellate practices and kept arguing at an unusual pace; Clement served as Solicitor General and Katyal as Acting Solicitor General. Carter G. Phillips, who spent decades leading a major firm’s Supreme Court practice, is another regular in the top advocate rankings.