James C. Ho is a partner in the Dallas office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. He has over a decade of government experience, including all three branches of the federal government, and most recently as Solicitor General of Texas, the State’s chief appellate lawyer.

An experienced appellate, business, and constitutional litigator, Mr. Ho is 21-3 as lead counsel in various federal and state courts, including 3-0 before the U.S. Supreme Court, in cases decided by opinion. His amicus briefs have been cited by the U.S. Supreme Court, the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Fifth and Seventh Circuits, and the Texas Supreme Court.

In addition, Mr. Ho counsels clients on constitutional issues and legal strategy in disputes involving the executive and legislative branches of state and federal government and in other adversarial contexts. He has testified before Congress and the Texas Legislature.

Mr. Ho has been recognized as a leading appellate and constitutional lawyer by The National Law Journal, Law360, Texas Lawyer, and Texas Super Lawyers. Law360 noted his “impressive string of victories before state and federal appeals courts,” while The National Law Journal placed him among the “upper echelons of Supreme Court practice.”

Government and Public Service Experience

As Solicitor General of Texas, Mr. Ho represented and counseled Attorney General Greg Abbott and other government officials and agencies in the State’s most difficult legal disputes. He has the highest win rate at the U.S. Supreme Court of any Texas solicitor general, and is the first state solicitor general in the nation to be invited by the Court to express the views of a state. He also received three Supreme Court Best Brief Awards from the National Association of Attorneys General.

Mr. Ho has also held a variety of significant legal positions across the federal government. On Capitol Hill, he served as chief counsel to Senator John Cornyn and to the Senate Judiciary Subcommittees on the Constitution and Immigration. He was named one of the best 35 Congressional aides under 35 by The Hill. At the Justice Department, he was the second highest political appointee at the Civil Rights Division. He also worked at the Office of Legal Counsel, advising White House and other senior officials on constitutional and other complex legal issues. In addition, he served as a law clerk for Judge Jerry E. Smith of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and Justice Clarence Thomas of the U.S. Supreme Court. Before law school, he was a legislative aide to State Senator Quentin Kopp.

His record of public service also includes appointments to numerous boards and commissions. Mr. Ho is actively involved in judicial appointments as a member of the Federal Judicial Evaluation Committee established by U.S. Senators Kay Bailey Hutchison and John Cornyn, and the U.S. Magistrate Judge Merit Selection Panel for the Northern District of Texas. He has also served on the Continuity of Government Commission and the U.S. delegation to the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.

Other Background Information

Mr. Ho is a frequent commentator on legal issues. He has taught U.S. Supreme Court Litigation as an Adjunct Professor of Law at the University of Texas School of Law. He has served as co-editor of Pub. L. Misc., and as senior editor of the Green Bag. He is also involved in numerous national, statewide, and local organizations.

Taiwanese by birth and Texan by marriage, Mr. Ho is an active member of the Asian American legal community. He is co-chair of the Judiciary Committee of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association and a recipient of the Association’s Presidential Award.

Mr. Ho graduated from Stanford University with honors and a B.A. in Public Policy, and the University of Chicago Law School with high honors.