Rosenstein takes case to Supreme Court
Talks to justices about drug dealer’s sentence
WASHINGTON — Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein laid aside the stress of one part of his job Monday to put himself in a different kind of pressure cooker: an argument at the Supreme Court.
Dressed in a traditional morning coat and striped pants, with the added flash of a pair of presidential cufflinks, Rosenstein represented the Trump administration in a case about a prison sentence for a convicted drug dealer at a rare afternoon session of the court.
“Not bad,” he said before the arguments, showing the cufflinks briefly to friends who had come to watch him argue. The cufflinks were sent last week by White House counsel Don Mcgahn, a Justice Department spokeswoman said.
The solicitor general’s office argues almost every Supreme Court case in which the government is involved. But it will occasionally cede its place to the attorney general or the second in command.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions has not argued a case, nor did the two attorneys general under President Barack Obama: Eric Holder and Loretta Lynch. Previous attorneys general who have argued at the court include Robert F. Kennedy, Janet Reno and Michael Mukasey.
Just before the justices returned to the bench from lunch, Rosenstein wiped his face with a handkerchief and steeled himself for the court’s inevitable grilling. It was fairly mild.
After the arguments, Rosenstein, his wife and two daughters posed for photos on the front steps of the court beneath the phrase “Equal Justice Under Law” etched into the pediment. They strode across the plaza and onto the sidewalk.
Rosenstein ignored questions from reporters about special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation and how he enjoyed himself inside.
The whole family climbed into a waiting SUV. Rosenstein’s regular job awaited him.