Abhishek (Abhi) Kambli is a partner at Holtzman Vogel who represents clients in high-stakes appellate and complex litigation, constitutional challenges, and matters involving state attorneys general and federal agencies. He is one of a handful of lawyers nationally who has both led federal litigation from inside the Department of Justice and multi-state coalition work from a State Attorney General’s office—giving clients a 360-degree perspective on government enforcement, regulatory challenges, and constitutional advocacy.

Prior to joining Holtzman Vogel, Abhi served as Deputy Associate Attorney General at the United States Department of Justice, where he acted as lead counsel in high-priority matters for the Trump Administration, oversaw the Department’s civil components on behalf of the Associate Attorney General, advised the White House Counsel’s Office and federal agencies on litigation risk and strategy, and developed the Department’s national affirmative civil litigation strategy.

Earlier, he served as Deputy Attorney General and Division Chief of the Special Litigation and Constitutional Issues Division at the Kansas Attorney General’s Office, where he launched the division and led multi-state coalitions in trial and appellate courts nationwide, including the United States Supreme Court. He began his career as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Southern District of Indiana, prosecuting more than 100 federal cases from investigation through appeal.

Abhi is also a Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Air Force Judge Advocate General's Corps, having served on active duty and in the reserves since 2013. His military service includes criminal trials as both prosecutor and defense attorney, appellate representation before the Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, and representation of a high-profile detainee before the Military Commissions at Guantánamo Bay.

Clerkship/Government Experience
  • Deputy Associate Attorney General, United States Department of Justice (2025–2026)
  • Deputy Attorney General, Division Chief, Special Litigation and Constitutional Issues Division, Kansas Attorney General's Office (2023–2025)
  • Assistant United States Attorney, Southern District of Indiana (2019–2023)
  • Lieutenant Colonel, United States Air Force Judge Advocate General's Corps 

Department of Justice

  • Federal Personnel Policy: Successfully argued and secured the denial of a preliminary injunction in National Treasury Employees Union v. Trump, defending the government's authority regarding the termination of probationary employees.
  • Executive Order Defense: Represented the United States before the Ninth and D.C. Circuits in Shilling v. Trump and Talbott v. Trump defending the "Prioritizing Military Excellence and Readiness" Executive Order.
  • Agency Oversight: Won dismissal after oral argument in Cross v. EEOC, a high-stakes challenge to the Commission's directives regarding the closure of disparate impact investigations.
  • Education Funding: Argued and secured a dismissal in Fairfax County School Board v. Linda McMahon, obtaining a favorable ruling that was affirmed by the Fourth Circuit on emergency appeal.
  • Equal Protection & DEI: Served as lead counsel in the Department’s first DEI-related lawsuit, American Alliance for Equal Rights v. Bennett, challenging state-level nonprofit demographic reporting requirements.
  • Title IX Enforcement: Initiated and led the first Title IX challenge against state-level transgender sports policies in United States v. Maine.
  • Immigration & National Security: Secured emergency litigation victories in the D.C. Circuit in J.G.G. v. Trump, involving complex contempt and preliminary injunction hearings related to the Alien Enemies Act.
  • Environmental & Climate Strategy: Formulated the litigation strategy for the Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD) that led to landmark lawsuits challenging state "climate superfund" statutes in New York and Vermont.

Kansas Attorney General's Office

  • Student Loan Forgiveness: Argued and won a nationwide preliminary injunction blocking the $475 billion student loan forgiveness program in Kansas v. Biden (retitled Alaska v. Department of Education).
  • Election Law: Authored and served as counsel of record for a 26-state amicus coalition in Beals v. Virginia Coalition for Immigrant Rights, contributing to a 6-3 victory on a critical federal election law issue.
  • Immigration Policy: Won a preliminary injunction, later upheld by the Eighth Circuit on emergency appeal, spanning 19 states in Kansas v. United States, challenging the expansion of DACA benefits.
  • Healthcare Regulatory Overreach: Secured summary judgment in Kansas v. Becerra, successfully challenging a CMS nursing home staffing rule that was projected to impose $40 billion in compliance costs on the industry.
  • Labor Policy: Argued and won preliminary injunction in Kansas v. Department of Labor, a challenge to a DOL rule that sought to provide collective bargaining rights to temporary H-2A farm workers.
  • Title IX: Acted as lead counsel in Kansas v. Department of Education, resulting in an injunction spanning four states and over 3,000 school districts against the Biden Administration’s Title IX rule.
  • Federalist Society's Inaugural Executive Branch Summit - "Unitary Executive & Administrative Agencies: Who’s in Charge?” - Washington, DC (May 2026)
  • Center for Law and Policy’s Energy Summit - "DOJ efforts in energy litigation"  - Houston, TX (April 2026)
  • Federalist Society National Lawyers Convention – "Race and Redistricting" – Washington, D.C. (November 2025)
  • Federalist Society In-House Counsel Network Conference – "The State of DEI and ESG in the Corporate World" – Chicago, IL (June 2025)
  • RAGA New York Conference – "Former State AG Staff Serving in Trump Administration" – New York, NY (June 2025)
  • RAGA Energy Summit – "The Trump Administration's Approach to Energy Litigation" – Houston, TX (April 2025)
  • Federalist Society Regulatory Transparency Project – "State AG Litigation Against Federal Agencies: A Kansas Perspective" – Podcast (December 2024)
  • Federalist Society Regulatory Transparency Project – "Department of Government Efficiency: Opportunities and Challenges (Part II)" – Webinar (January 2025)
  • American Enterprise Institute – "Exploring Legal Challenges to the SAVE Plan" – Webinar (May 2024)
  • RAGA Energy Summit – "State AG Efforts in Energy Litigation" – Houston, TX (April 2024)
  • "Reverse Biden Administration's Illegal Student Loan Giveaway," RealClearPolicy (December 2024)
  • "The Student Loan Forgiveness Saga: How the Litigation Played Out and What's Next," FedSoc Blog (December 2024)
  • "Beals v. Virginia Coalition for Immigrant Rights: SCOTUS Sides with Virginia in Voter Roll Clean Up Dustup," FedSoc Blog (November 2024)

Related Practice Areas
  • University of Notre Dame Law School, J.D., cum laude
  • University of the Arts, B.F.A., Writing for Film and Television
  • New York State Bar
  • Kansas Bar
  • District of Columbia Bar (Admission Pending)
  • U.S. Supreme Court
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth, Sixth, Seventh, Ninth, Tenth, Eleventh, and D.C. Circuits
  • U.S. District Courts: District of Kansas, District of New Mexico, District of North Dakota, Eastern District of Texas, Northern District of Texas
Abhishek Kambli, Holtzman Vogel