NASHVILLE - On Monday, Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti announced the appointment of Matt Rice to the position of Solicitor General following Andrée Blumstein’s return to private practice following her exemplary service for nearly a decade as Tennessee’s chief appellate attorney.

“It’s nearly impossible to express sufficient gratitude to General Blumstein for her extraordinary contributions to the great State of Tennessee,” Attorney General Skrmetti said in a statement. “Solicitor General Blumstein was a trailblazer in the legal profession and the first woman solicitor general for the State of Tennessee. She faced sharp adversity at the start of her career when hiring partners viewed women lawyers as a novelty at best. Thanks in no small part to General Blumstein’s tenacity and talent, that kind of discrimination in the law is now unthinkable. While her accomplishments are too vast to mention, I want to specifically recognize her initiation of the Office’s amicus brief practice and her lead role in the Attorney General Opinion process. She has also maintained her reputation as a fierce litigator, with one example being her work on the ESA litigation where she successfully defended the constitutionality of a controversial state law in the Tennessee Supreme Court. Her commitment to quality has consistently elevated the Office’s legal practice and improved the work product of each and every one of our attorneys. She is the consummate professional and the State of Tennessee has benefited greatly from her service.”

Matt Rice has been promoted to the position of Solicitor General from Special Assistant to the Solicitor General. Rice, a Johnson City native, joined the Office of Solicitor General in June 2022. His return to Tennessee followed a stint at Washington, D.C. litigation powerhouse Williams & Connolly. Rice attended Western Kentucky University and then, after playing minor league baseball, graduated at the top of his class from UC Berkeley School of Law. Following law school, he clerked for Judge Sandra Ikuta on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and for Justice Clarence Thomas on the Supreme Court of the United States.

“Solicitor General Matt Rice is a brilliant attorney and exceptional writer with a renowned work ethic and a remarkable record of success. Matt learned from some of the top legal minds in the country and has been a consistently excellent contributor since he joined the office,” Attorney General Skrmetti said in a statement. “Matt’s love for his home is on display every day as he works to defend the rule of law in the Volunteer State.”

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