Editing Rex E. Lee (section)

==Supreme Court advocate and scholar==
Lee entered public service, first at the invitation of Attorney General [[Edward H. Levi]], as an [[United States Assistant Attorney General|Assistant Attorney General]] in charge of the [[United States Department of Justice Civil Division|Civil Division]] in the [[United States Department of Justice]] from 1975 to 1976.<ref>{{cite journal|url=http://heinonline.org/HOL/LandingPage?collection=journals&handle=hein.journals/uclr52&div=20&id=&page= |title=52 University of Chicago Law Review 1985 Attorney General Edward H. Levi Comment|journal=University of Chicago Law Review|volume=52|pages=281|publisher=Heinonline.org|access-date=2014-03-07|year=1985|last1=Casper|first1=Gerhard}}</ref><ref name="levi">{{cite journal |last1=Ford |first1=Gerald R. |title=Attorney General Edward H. Levi |journal=The University of Chicago Law Review |date=Spring 1985 |volume=52 |issue=2 |page=286 |jstor=1599659 }}</ref> In 1980, Lee wrote ''A Lawyer Looks at the Equal Rights Amendment'' in which he analyzed arguments against the [[Equal Rights Amendment]].<ref name="lord">{{cite book|last1=Lee|first1=Rex E.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GzCQAAAAMAAJ|title=A Lawyer Looks at the Equal Rights Amendment|publisher=Brigham Young University Press|year=1980|isbn=9780842518833 |access-date=August 9, 2021}}</ref>

He served as Solicitor General of the United States from 1981 to 1985 under President of the United States [[Ronald Reagan]].<ref name="nyt" /> As Solicitor General, Lee argued cases before the Supreme Court.<ref name="doj">{{cite web |title=Solicitor General: Rex Lee |url=https://www.justice.gov/osg/bio/rex-lee |website=The United States Department of Justice |publisher=U.S. Department of Justice |access-date=April 16, 2019|date=2014-10-24 }}</ref> During his time as Solicitor General, Lee won 23 of the 30 cases he argued during Reagan's first presidential term.<ref name="Justices"/> Before he died, he was preparing to argue his 60th case before the Supreme Court despite being confined to a hospital bed.<ref name="Memoriam"/><ref name="Justices">Davidson, Lee. [https://magazine.byu.edu/article/supreme-court-justices-pay-tribute-to-the-late-rex-e-lee/ ''Supreme Court Justices Pay Tribute to the Late Rex Lee'', BYU Magazine (November 1996); retrieved April 23, 2012.]</ref> Associate Justice White said that Lee "was the epitome of integrity".<ref name="Justices"/> At one point, while being criticized for taking unpopular stances that might have been at odds with the administration under which he served, Lee responded: "I'm the solicitor general, not the pamphleteer general."<ref name="NYTIMES"/><ref name="Justices"/>

Lee relished the opportunity to argue before the Supreme Court. His son, [[Mike Lee]], noted that Lee was very energetic and enthusiastic about arguing cases.<ref name="bros"/> In June 1985, Lee resigned as Solicitor General among criticism that he was not conservative enough.<ref name="salokar">{{cite book |last1=Salokar |first1=Rebecca Mae |title=The Solicitor General: The Politics of Law |date=1992 |publisher=Temple University Press |location=Philadelphia, PA |isbn=978-0877229261 |page=2 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=784tRHO8mEEC&q=%22rex+e+lee%22&pg=PA200 |access-date=April 12, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Kleinknecht |first1=William |title=The Man Who Sold the World: Ronald Reagan and the Betrayal of Main Street America |date=2009 |publisher=Nation Booka |location=New York |isbn=9781568584102 |page=[https://archive.org/details/manwhosoldworl00klei/page/227 227] |url=https://archive.org/details/manwhosoldworl00klei |url-access=registration |quote=rex e lee. |access-date=April 12, 2019}}</ref> In 1986, Lee was diagnosed with [[pancreatic cancer]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Johnson |first1=Josh |title=Rex E. Lee: A man worth running for |url=https://universe.byu.edu/2015/03/06/rex-e-lee-a-man-worth-running-for/ |access-date=May 8, 2019 |work=The Daily Universe |publisher=Brigham Young University |date=March 6, 2015}}</ref> Lee managed to recover after about a year of cancer treatment and therapy and was named BYU's tenth president.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Reecem |first1=Mark |last2=Haddock |first2=Sharon |title=Pneumonia Claims Former Y. President Rex Lee |url=https://www.deseretnews.com/article/476912/PNEUMONIA-CLAIMS-FORMER-Y-PRESIDENT-REX-LEE.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190508213716/https://www.deseretnews.com/article/476912/PNEUMONIA-CLAIMS-FORMER-Y-PRESIDENT-REX-LEE.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=May 8, 2019 |access-date=May 8, 2019 |work=Deseret News |publisher=Deseret News Publishing Company |date=March 12, 1996}}</ref><ref name="past" /> According to some accounts, when Lee was asked to assume the position as university president, he accepted on the condition that he would still be able to argue cases before the Supreme Court in his spare time. He argued nine before his death.<ref name="Justices"/>