Solicitor General and Deputy Attorney General for Special Litigation Named
Incoming Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey announced Wednesday that national conservative figure and Federalist Society member Josh Divine will serve the Office of Attorney General as Solicitor General.
“My wife and I are thrilled to move our family back to Missouri, and I am honored to serve as Solicitor General,” Divine said. “I look forward to working with Attorney General Bailey to protect the rule of law and defend the constitutional rights of the people of Missouri.”
Divine has established a reputation among national conservative legal circles. He is a long-time member of the Federalist Society and is an approved speaker by the organization, traveling several times a year to speak to conservative legal groups. “ I am so thrilled that Josh – an experienced pragmatic conservative – is joining my team to fight to protect our constitutional freedoms and values.” – said Andrew Bailey
“Andrew Bailey’s record as a battle-tested, constitutional conservative will serve every Missourian well. His commitment to the Constitution has defined his career as a decorated Army combat veteran and a tough prosecutor who has put violent criminals behind bars protected religious liberty and defended our freedom of speech, which is increasingly under attack by Big Tech. I look forward to his leadership as Attorney General for the State of Missouri.” – Said Josh Divine
The announcement that Divine will join Bailey’s staff comes days after the announcement that one of the more prominent figures in the Missouri legal community Ray Wagner will be joining the Office of Attorney General as Senior Advisor and Chief Counselor joining the office’s leadership team following Bailey’s swearing-in next month.
Divine clerked on the Supreme Court for Justice Thomas and on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit for Judge William Pryor. He obtained a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from the University of Northern Colorado. He previously served in the Attorney General’s office from 2017 to 2019 as Deputy Solicitor General.
“The State of Missouri is fortunate to have a brilliant attorney like Josh Divine as Solicitor General. His legal acumen and experience are incomparable,” Attorney General-designee Bailey said. “Missourians have also benefitted greatly from John Sauer’s work as Solicitor General for the past six years and will further benefit from his work defending our state and our freedoms in special litigation. I cannot thank both Josh and John enough for their service.”
Current Solicitor General John Sauer, who has mounted up an impressive list of court wins against the Biden administration will remain on staff in the role of Deputy Attorney General for Special Litigation.
“Our team will be ready to move forward in January and immediately get to work on behalf of the Missourians who rely on our office every day,” said Bailey.
Scott Faughn is the publisher of The Missouri Times, owner of the Clayton Times in Clayton; SEMO Times in Poplar Bluff; and host of the only statewide political television show, This Week in Missouri Politics.
