Former US Solicitor General Ted Olson, a well-known conservative lawyer, has died

Former U.S. Solicitor General Ted Olson, who served two Republican presidents as one of the country’s best known conservative lawyers and successfully argued on behalf of same-sex marriage, has died. The law firm Gibson Dunn, where Olson practiced since 1965, announced his death on its website Wednesday. Olson was at the center of some of the biggest cases of recent decades, including a win on behalf of George W. Bush in the 2000 Florida presidential election recount that went before the Supreme Court. Olson served as solicitor general under Bush and had previously served in President Ronald Reagan's Justice Department. Olson and his Democratic rival in the election case teamed up to successfully challenge California's 2008 ban on same-sex marriages.