Speaker Paul D. Ryan on Friday announced the appointments of two top attorneys for the House.   

Thomas Hungar will serve as the House’s general counsel, replacing Kerry Kircher who resigned in May.   

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House General Counsel Stepping Down

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Hungar, a former deputy solicitor general of the United States and a Yale Law School graduate, will lead the Office of General Counsel, which is responsible for representing the House of Representatives in lawsuits and court cases in which the House wants to offer an opinion.   

Ryan also announced the appointment of Ernest Ballou Jr. as the House’s legislative counsel. Ballou, a University of Virginia law school graduate, has been working in the Office of Legislative Counsel, which oversees drafting of legislation, for decades. 

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