U.S. Solicitor General Donald Verrilli, Jr. visits Wilton Library May 22

Wilton Library is pleased to announce that U.S. Solicitor General Donald Verrilli, Jr. will visit the library on Thursday, May 22, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. 

Attorney Verrilli is the 46th Solicitor General of the United States, having been nominated by President Obama and sworn in on June 9, 2011. 

As Solicitor General, he is the third highest ranking official in the U.S. Department of Justice, and is responsible for representing the United States Government in the United States Supreme Court.  

He has personally argued many high profile cases in the Supreme Court, including the appeals on the Affordable Care Act and Defense of Marriage Act. 

Donald Verrilli graduated from Wilton High School in 1975 and went on to earn his B.A. at Yale University and his J.D. at Columbia Law School where he served as editor-in-chief for the Columbia Law Review.   After graduating from law school, he served as a law clerk for Judge J. Skelly Wright of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit and Justice William J. Brennan, Jr., in the United States Supreme Court.  Before he was appointed Solicitor General, Mr. Verrilli worked in the White House as a Deputy Counsel to the President and in the U.S. Justice Department. 

Verrilli will be in conversation with Michael Kaelin, principal in the Litigation Group at Cummings & Lockwood and president of the Board of Trustees of Wilton Library Association. Mr. Kaelin commented that he is pleased to be hosting Mr. Verrilli, particularly for Wilton high school students.  Mr. Kaelin noted, “We are hoping the conversation with Mr. Verrilli will provide a unique opportunity for students to learn more about civics, government and history from someone who started out where they are starting out and is living history.  We are hoping to inspire Wilton’s students.” 

While a high school student in Wilton, Donald had a taste of local government first hand.  His mother, Rose Marie Verrilli, served three terms as the Wilton First Selectman from 1975 to 1981.  Donald is the brother of Peter Verrilli, who lives in Wilton with his wife Suzanne and family, and is president of Be3 Marketing Group.

Elaine Tai-Lauria, executive director of the library remarked, “We are delighted to have Donald Verrilli talk to us.  This is such an important time in our history and in Washington, and it will be wonderful to hear his insights.”