President George W. Bush nominated David Bernhardt to be the Solicitor for the United States Department of the Interior. And on October 5, 2006 he was sworn in to serve as the 30th Solicitor after being unanimously confirmed by the Senate.

As the third ranking official in the Interior Department and its chief legal officer he is charged with the responsibility of providing legal advice to the Secretary and members of his staff, the Assistant Secretaries, heads of offices and bureaus such as the National Park Service and the Bureau of Land Management, as well as all other officers and employees at the United States Department of the Interior. He is also responsible for formulating the legal policies of the Department and resolving any conflicts which may arise in the application of these policies.

Before assuming the role of Solicitor at Interior, he served as Deputy Solicitor, Deputy Chief of Staff, Counselor to the Secretary and Director of Congressional and Legislative Affairs at the Department of the Interior.

Prior to joining the Department of the Interior, he was with a private law firm and held a variety of positions for Congressman Scott McInnis including Legislative Director, Counsel and Associate Staff for the Committee on Rules.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in political science with a minor in business administration from the University of Northern Colorado and graduated from the George Washington University National Law Center with honors.

A native of Rifle, Colorado, David is married to Gena Rae Bernhardt and has two children, William and Katherine.