Alan M. Hurst

As Idaho’s most recent solicitor general, Alan served as the state’s chief appellate advocate, overseeing all the state’s civil appeals as well as motions practice in its most sensitive and highest-stakes trial-court litigation. He represented the state in numerous matters before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and the Idaho Supreme Court, including complex tax and administrative matters and the defense of Idaho’s billion-dollar statewide contract for behavioral health services. He was also Idaho’s chief advocate before the United States Supreme Court, where he argued Little v. Hecox in 2026.

 

At Kirton McConkie, Alan focuses his practice on appellate advocacy, dispositive motions, and complex constitutional litigation. As a member of the firm’s Appellate, Litigation, and First Amendment and Religious Organizations sections, he represents clients in high-stakes appeals and critical motions practice, drawing on his experience managing precedent-setting matters and advising government decision-makers at the highest levels.

 

Before entering public service, Alan spent eight years in private practice at an AmLaw 100 firm, where he defended clients in the consumer financial services industry. His practice included complex civil litigation and regulatory matters, providing him with extensive experience in developing litigation strategy, managing risk, and resolving cases efficiently.

Education

• Yale Law School, JD, 2010
• Brigham Young University, BA, magna cum laude, 2007

Experience

Publications

• The message of the tariff decision for Supreme Court naysayers, Deseret News, 2.23.26
• The Idaho Supreme Court got school choice right, Idaho Education News, 2.18.26
• The Supreme Court is doing its job, Deseret News, 7.17.24
• Perspective: Where was the Bill of Rights in Hunter Biden’s case?, Deseret News, 9.4.23
• Perspective: From Clinton’s emails to Trump’s documents, why ‘process crimes’ matter, Deseret News, 6.25.23
• Perspective: How a Supreme Court decision went from red to blue in less than 2 decades, Deseret News, 5.22.23
• Perspective: Forget the bad days. The anti-abortion movement had a very good year, Deseret News, 12.28.22
• Perspective: The radical reasonableness of retiring Justice Stephen Breyer, Deseret News, 1.30.22
• Perspective: Why Ketanji Brown Jackson and many other justices come from the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, Deseret News, 4.7.22

Speaking Engagements

• Oral Argument Do’s and Don’ts, training for young appellate advocates in state attorney general offices, hosted by the National Association of Attorneys General, March 2025
• The Changing Role of State Attorneys General, speech to the Federalist Society chapter at Duke Law School, October 2024
• The Role of the State Solicitor General, panel presentation to the Federalist Society chapter at Stanford Law School, October 2024
• The Role of the State Solicitor General, panel presentation to the Federalist Society chapter at Berkeley Law School, October 2024
• OAG Writing Seminar, four lectures on paragraph coherence and argument structure for full 120-lawyer Office of the Attorney General, fall 2024

• District of Idaho
• District of North Dakota
• District of Utah
• Idaho
• U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit
• U.S. Court of Appeals, First Circuit
• U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit
• U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit
• U.S. Court of Appeals, Eighth Circuit
• U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit
• U.S. Court of Appeals, Tenth Circuit
• U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit
• United States Supreme Court
• Utah
• Virginia

• Hon. Monroe G. McKay, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
• Hon. Christine M. Durham, Utah Supreme Court

• Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch^® in America – Financial Services Regulation Law (2023)