Theodore Olson, the former conservative lawyer who argued the 2000 Florida vote recount case on behalf of President George W. Bush, has died at the age of 84, his firm announced Wednesday.
No immediate cause of death was provided for the former attorney general, who is also remembered for teaming up with David Boies – his opponent in Bush v. Gore – to help repeal California’s Proposition 8 banning same-sex marriages.
“Ted was a titan of the legal profession and one of the most extraordinary and articulate advocates of our time,” said Barbara Becker, president and managing partner of Gibson Dunn. he said in a statement. “He was creative, principled and fearless – a pioneering advocate who cared about all people. We are deeply saddened by his loss and send our condolences to his wife Lady, a beloved member of our strong family, and to all of Ted’s loved ones. ”
The firm said Olson, over the course of his career, “argued 65 cases at the Supreme Court, including the two Bush v. Gore cases arising from the 2000 presidential election; Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission; Hollingsworth v. Perry, the case upholding the repeal of California’s Proposition 8 banning same-sex marriages; and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security v. Regents of the University of California, successfully challenging the rescission by the Trump Administration of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.
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“Ted’s arguments at the Supreme Court included cases involving separation of powers; federalism; voting rights; the First Amendment; the Equal Protection and Due Process Clauses; patents and copyrights; antitrust; taxes; property rights ; punitive damages; the Commerce Clause; immigration; securities law;
Olson served as the Justice Department’s deputy attorney general in charge of the Office of Legal Counsel from 1981 to 1984. He later served as U.S. attorney general from 2001 to 2004 during the first Bush administration, according to Gibson Dunn.
In addition to those federal duties, Olson acted as a private advisor to Bush and former President Ronald Reagan.
Since 2009, Olson served on the board of directors of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute.
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“His wisdom, openness and willingness to help, no matter how busy he was, made him an invaluable member of the Foundation and Institute board of directors,” Fred Ryan, board president, said in a statement obtained Wednesday. by Fox. Digital news.
“Ted Olson was not just President Reagan’s lawyer: he was his friend and confidant, and that friendship and bond only strengthened after Ronald Reagan left office,” Ryan also said. “The president often credited him with keeping spirits up when times were tough, and the President and Mrs. Reagan tried to return the favor when Mr. Olson lost his [former] “Wife, Barbara, who was aboard the hijacked plane that crashed into the Pentagon on September 11, 2001.”
Gibson Dunn added that Olson “was twice awarded the U.S. Department of Justice’s Edmund J. Randolph Award, its highest award for public service and leadership, and also received the Department of Defense’s Distinguished Service Award. his highest civil award, for his defense in the courts of the United States, including the Supreme Court.”
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Gibson died at a hospital in Falls Church, Virginia, according to The Washington Post.