<P> The Solicitor General or one of the deputies typically argues the most important cases in the Supreme Court . Cases not argued by the Solicitor General may be argued by one of the assistants or another government attorney . The Solicitors General tend to argue 6--9 cases per Supreme Court term, while deputies argue 4--5 cases and assistants each argue 2--3 cases . </P> <P> The Solicitor General, who has offices in the Supreme Court Building as well as the Department of Justice Headquarters, has been called the "tenth justice" as a result of the close relationship between the justices and the Solicitor General (and their respective staffs of clerks and deputies). As the most frequent advocate before the Court, the Office of the Solicitor General generally argues dozens of times each term . As a result, the Solicitor General tends to remain particularly comfortable during oral arguments that other advocates would find intimidating . Furthermore, when the office of the Solicitor General endorses a petition for certiorari, review is frequently granted, which is remarkable given that only 75--125 of the over 7,500 petitions submitted each term are granted review by the Court . </P> <P> Other than the justices themselves, the Solicitor General is among the most influential and knowledgeable members of the legal community with regard to Supreme Court litigation . Six Solicitors General have later served on the Supreme Court: William Howard Taft (who served as the 27th President of the United States before becoming Chief Justice of the United States), Stanley Forman Reed, Robert H. Jackson, Thurgood Marshall, and Elena Kagan . Some who have had other positions in the office of the Solicitor General have also later been appointed to the Supreme Court . For example, Chief Justice John Roberts was the Principal Deputy Solicitor General during the George H.W. Bush administration and Associate Justice Samuel Alito was an Assistant to the Solicitor General . The last former Solicitor General to be successfully nominated to the court was Justice Elena Kagan . Only one former Solicitor General has been nominated to the Supreme Court unsuccessfully, that being Robert Bork; however, no sitting Solicitor General has ever been denied such an appointment . Eight other Solicitors General have served on the United States Courts of Appeals . </P> <P> Within the Justice Department, the Solicitor General exerts significant influence on all appeals brought by the department . The Solicitor General is the only U.S. officer that is statutorily required to be "learned in law ." Whenever the DOJ wins at the trial stage and the losing party appeals, the concerned division of the DOJ responds automatically and proceeds to defend the ruling in the appellate process . However, if the DOJ is the losing party at the trial stage, an appeal can only be brought with the permission of the Solicitor General . For example, should the tort division lose a jury trial in federal district court, that ruling cannot be appealed by the Appellate Office without the approval of the Solicitor General . </P>

What current member of the supreme court was once the solicitor general